Teana's Travels Book 11 - To Be Human
by D.K.N
Summary: Teana and her squad come across an Earth that is home to a genetic offshoot of humanity called Diclonius. There, they make ready to help a broken young woman and her friends, and to take on a shadowy organization responsible for the deaths of thousands. Rated M for violence and language.
1. Explanation

And now, ladies & gentlemen, the start of Book 11 of Teana's Travels. Sorry about the delay; writer's block is a bitch.

Before we start, I should say something: this _Elfen Lied _universe is a "composite" of the animé and manga verses, using elements from the former (all Diclonii having pink, red, or purple hair; Lucy's sympatheticness and (unlike her manga counterpart) lack of enjoying killing) and the latter (the characters of Nozomi and the Unknown Man; Director Kakuzawa's motivations; the presence of another, Omnicidal Maniac third personality heavily responsible for Lucy's fall). Also, as you'll see, a few things happened a tad differently from the animé _and _the manga during events before Gamma's arrival.

**I MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THE FOLLOWING THINGS, WHICH ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE MENTIONED OWNER-PEOPLE:**

_Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha _(Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs

_Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni _(Shion, the "Keiichi Crew") – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen

_Shuffle! _(Kaede Fuyō, Rin, Asa & Ama, Sia & Nerine, Primula) – Navel and Asread

_Erika's New Perfume _(Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – Deviant-Art artist Lance the Young

_Mai-chan's Daily Life _(Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga

_Star Wars _(Ahsoka, Cody, Rex) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm

_Halo _(Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie and 343 Industries

_StarCraft _(multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment

_Naruto _(jutsu, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto

_Mahō Sensei Negima _(spells, abilities, characters) – Ken Akamatsu

_Kingdom Hearts _(Keyblades, the concept of Nobodies (Laicixa), Aqua) – Square-Enix

_Neon Genesis Evangelion_ (Mana Kirishima) – Studio Gainax

_Elfen Lied _– Lynn Okamoto, Arms

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**HEIGHTS OF CHARACTERS INTRODUCED HERE:**

'**Lucy' (and, by extension, Nyū): **5'4" (1.625m)

**Kōta Arima: **5'7" (1.7m)

**Yuka Nogizaka: **5'3" (1.6m)

**Nana: **5' 0.5" (1.54m)

**Mayu Hagiwara: **5'1" (1.57m)

**Nozomi Kaushimu: **5'4" (1.63m)

**-**_**BOOK 11 START**_**-**

**Maple Inn**

**Kamakura, Japan**

The girl known as Nyū wandered around the expansive backyard of the inn-turned-house, her long, reddish-pink hair flowing in the breeze. She giggled lightly as a butterfly fluttered past her face, briefly landing on one of the two white, cat-ear-shaped horns that grew on either side of her head. The physically-17-year-old with the mind of a small child was content at the moment, having already gotten used to the newest addition to the 'family', the new-girl Nana who had the same little head-bumps as she did, who'd become part of the group around a week ago. The girl had been a tad nervous and jumpy around Nyū for the first few days (Nyū couldn't imagine why), but had now become friendly with her.

Nyū loved her surrogate family. There was Kōta, who was kind and gentle and made her feel warm whenever he was near; Yuka, who was a bit bossy and short-tempered but also loving and caring; Mayu, who was cute and calm and warm-hearted; Nana, who was fun and friendly; and Nozomi, shy but sweet, with a beautiful singing voice. They were all precious to her. She only wished she knew the words to tell them that.

Nyū gave a happy sigh… and then suddenly felt as a… presence, for lack of a better word, made itself known nearby. And then Nyū's world went dark as her body's true owner assumed control.

The girl known to her enemies as 'Lucy' readied herself as she reassumed control of her body from the personality who represented her lost innocence. She looked around, carefully, vectors out but invisible. Something… some_one _was nearby, and if they posed a threat to her or to Kōta then she would kill them.

"You've got good instincts."

She spun to face the direction that the sudden voice had come from. She looked up, and saw the red-haired human girl sitting in the tree. She felt a bit of shock as the human took the 20-foot leap straight down and landed without injury, and she readied her vectors to kill.

"Easy" the redhead said, raising her hands in a defensive position. "I am not here to harm or cause trouble for you or anyone in that house. I come offering help."

"Who are you?" 'Lucy' asked sharply, ready to attack. "Why should I trust you?"

The girl made eye contact with her… and, for just a moment, 'Lucy' felt the girl's power, staggering back a couple steps.

'This girl… is _not _an ordinary human' she thought with mild awe.

"My name is Teana Uchiha-Lanstar. I represent a coalition of multiple space-faring civilizations – some human, some not – from several realms. Individually, the various groups have dealt with a myriad of threats, and now as a coalition we face a new, greater threat that threatens _all _of our respective realms, along with some we've yet to make contact with. We've secured our own borders; now, we're sending out feelers to various realms, for the purposes of finding anything connected to our new foe and of looking for places where we can do of some good and lend some aid. …That latter one is why I'm here.

"We don't have much to go on; just your picture, and the knowledge that you 'need our help'. We don't know why or with what. We don't know who you are. All we know is that you could use our assistance. So tell me… How can I help you?"

"…You aren't calling me a freak or things like that?" She absent-mindedly moved a lock of hair over her right horn.

Teana laughed. "Girl, compared to a lot of the things I've seen, you aren't even a blip on the Weirdness Radar. I have a Togrutan on my team; y'know, like Shaak Ti from _Star Wars_? …I think they're cute, really; they look like cat ears."

'Lucy' was stunned. Here this girl was, dropping in from out of nowhere and saying things that would get most people committed to an asylum for saying. And yet… there was something about her that left the Diclonius a tad inclined to believe her.

And then things went wrong. 'Lucy' had, ever since that day at the orphanage, had that little voice inside her mind, the Other Her, trying to coerce her into killing. She gave it reign whenever she was up against those who would do her harm, like the guards and soldiers from the Institute; she would synchronize with it, allowing it to direct her body and vectors, brutally killing those who stood in her way. When she was a child, when she thought Kōta had betrayed her, she had given full control to it; her memory of the bloodshed that followed was hazy and red… until Kōta's tackle brought her back to the forefront and she was made to realize exactly what she and her Other had done.

During her fight against Nana, 'Lucy' had been in control for most of it, aiming not to hurt the girl _too _badly, but when Mayu had chanced upon the scene, The Other had used the opportunity given by the brief distraction to wrench control and tear Nana limb from limb. Days later, 'Lucy' had barely stopped The Other from slicing Mayu apart by quickly "throwing" Nyū into the 'driver's seat', as it were, forcing herself and the Other into dormancy. 'Lucy' did not choose to spare humans that often, but when she did The Other nearly always tried to take matters into its own hands.

Right now was no different. Where 'Lucy' saw a potential ally, her Other merely saw a human to kill. Her feet and vectors acted on their own, rushing at the redhead, ready to chop her to pieces, as Lucy's awareness blurred and faded, the Other assuming control. But then, there was a flash of red from the girl's eyes, and a brief inversion of all color, and then everything was returned to clarity, the Other being suddenly forced back into the corners of her mind. 'Lucy' stared at the redhead's now-crimson eyes with the three concentric ringsin each. She could faintly 'hear' the Other thrashing and raging deep within her mind, bound and caged and baying for blood, but rendered harmless for the time being. Now 'Lucy' knew: this girl was the real deal.

"I see you're not the only one taking residence in that head of yours, eh?" Teana said as her eyes returned to the basic _Sharingan _state and then to their normal blue.

"…H-How did you…?"

"I've heard of something like what you have. Several years ago, one of my friends & mentors was nearly consumed by the darkness of her Heart, given a voice and power by the psychological traumas she had endured throughout her life. …I take it that it is the same for you?"

"It… It comes in handy when I'm butchering those who would kill me or those I hold dear, but… it is a constant struggle to not be fully consumed by it."

"That's why I added a seal to keep it in check. Consider it an olive branch. …I sensed a third presence within your mind."

'Lucy' nodded. "Her name is Nyū. She is the happiness and innocence that have long been lost to me. She doesn't know I exist, what I'm capable of; she simply 'blacks out' whenever I'm in command of my body. She was created when a sniper's bullet grazed my skull."

"…Unlikely" Teana replied. "From what I sensed… That level of separation, of completeness of another persona, couldn't just have been caused by head trauma. Nyū likely already existed on some level before that, and you being KOed was enough to give her some 'solidity' and let her take control for the first time."

"…That is an interesting theory, as well as the most plausible explanation I've considered yet."

"You say she isn't even aware that the true owner of her body exists?"

'Lucy' nodded. "My 'Other' is connected to me, but not her. It's much harder for her to take direct and quick control from Nyū than from me. Also, I… The boy whom I live with is… important to me. But… many years ago, I did something terrible to him. He doesn't remember; he blocked the memory away deep in his mind. But I still… still can't face him. Not yet. And as long as Nyū has the reins, the others I live with are safer from my Other… or, in the case of the one girl who has her eye on said boy, from me."

"Hmm…" Teana looked pensive. "Well, now that your Heart's Darkness is more adequately restrained, maybe you could let her know you exist."

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

Teana shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Try talking to her in your head or something, I guess? …Anyway, what can you tell me about yourself and why you might need our coalition's help?"

'Lucy' gave a deep sigh as she gathered her thoughts. "I am a Diclonius, a genetic offshoot of humanity. We… God, it's weird not feeling that ever-present bloodlust. Thanks for that. Usually I'd be trying to rip you apart even though you haven't done anything to me. My thoughts are clearer now, too. …Anyway, I possess four psychic-based appendages – long, extendable "arms" of some unknown energy. I can reach about 2 and a half meters with them. They're normally invisible, but I can make them visible if I so choose." She promptly did so, and Teana saw the four ghostly, translucent tentacle-like appendages that ended in hands, sprouting from the horned girl's mid-back.

"In addition to fine manipulation," she continued, "they can cut or pierce through things – stone, wood, metal… or people. ...I don't know you well enough to feel comfortable sharing my past with you; suffice it to say, however, that I have enemies, who have access to military-grade hardware. I was their captive for three years, isolated and tortured, along with hundreds more of my people. …Unlike me, most of them do not survive very long. I managed to escape, though, as I said, a sniper's round grazed my skull, allowing Nyū to fully manifest. I… _We _washed ashore on the beach near here, and got taken in by the occupants of this house."

The redhead was quiet as she processed this. Finally, she spoke. "…We'll be here soon – a few days, at most. Do what you feel you must in the meantime. I'd best be going now."

"Alright. …Thank you, Lanstar-san."

"No problem, um…"

"My enemies call me Lucy."

"Huh… We have a Lucy already, actually. Spartan-3 Lucy-B091, a cybernetically- and biochemically-enhanced super-soldier; nobody knows her last name, not even her. Nice girl, but she doesn't talk; Post-Traumatic Vocal Disarticulation from being one of two survivors of a 300-soldier mission about seven years ago. Poor thing. Anyway, we'll be in touch."

"Goodbye, then."

Teana nodded and then leapt up into the tree (startling 'Lucy'), and proceeded to make chakra-powered leaps between trees and rooftops, passing out of sight. As soon as she was away, the Shadow Clone of Teana vanished in a burst of smoke, its knowledge and experience being passed back to the real/original Teana presently aboard the _Starshot_, in slipspace en-route to the world.

After about a minute of just standing there, thinking, 'Lucy' walked over into the shade, having a seat against the tree. She closed her eyes, slowing her breathing and clearing her mind, delving deep into her thoughts in search of the one who slept there.

'Hello? Can you hear me? Nyū?'

…

'_Who's there?_'

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**That Evening**

Mayu was really wondering what was up. Nyū had ushered/dragged her, Nozomi, and Nana into her room after dinner, when Kōta and Yuka had headed out to get groceries. To Mayu's left sat Nana, the purplish-pink-haired girl looking quite curious. To her right was Nozomi, the shy and quiet yet gentle and loving girl shifting in her seat with a barely-noticeable rustling sound; from what Mayu understood, she had been left incontinent by her father's abuse. It had started out purely psychological in nature, but had eventually progressed to be physiological as well.

Now the cheerful pink-haired girl took a seat before them, looking as if she was going to say something – which seemed odd, considering her significantly limited vocabulary. She looked focused and serious, and took a deep breath.

"…Okay" Nyū said, surprising the three other girls (and the vocal tone assured Nana that this was indeed Nyū, not 'Lucy'). "I suppose I should start with the fact that I've… made mental contact with the other girl; the girl whose body this really belongs to… though she says she doesn't mind sharing it with _me_."

"Y-You've 'spoken' with Lucy?" Nana asked.

Nyū scowled. "Don't call her that. That's not her real name; that's what her enemies call her. She doesn't like it. …She says that she thinks I represent the happiness and innocence that she has lost; I'm what she could've been like if she'd had a normal, happy life instead of the sad, painful one she's had. I only learned of her existence a few hours ago; she was in control, and she dove into her thoughts and… spoke to me. When our minds touched, knowledge of a lot of things – like how to talk – was…" she paused to find the right analogy "copy-pasted from her mind into mine. That's how come I can talk for real to you girls right now."

"…Why is she so mean?" Nana asked. "Always trying to kill people, and… what she did to me…"

Nyū looked sad. "She's suffered a lot. When she was a kid, when her powers awakened for the first time, it was simultaneous with a psychotic break from being pushed too far, abused one too many times. That break left her with another alternate personality, years before I came to be. This… "Other" is nothing but bloodlust, hatred, and fury. She… _It _drives her to kill, whispering in her ear, boosting her aggression… When she has to fight and kill, she sorta half-merges with it; it dulls the pain and fear and stuff of fighting. But… when she _doesn't _want to kill someone, the Other can sometimes forcefully assume control and do it anyway. Nana-chan, it was she who beat you in that fight at the graveyard… but it was her Other who tried to tear you apart. …Granted, after you attacked us when you first showed up here, she wanted to wring your neck even without the Other's influence, but she wouldn't have killed you; just left you black & blue for a while.

"The reason I was able to speak to her in our head, and that I can talk to you now and tell you these things, is because her Other is now under much greater control than it was before. Earlier today, she met… someone, who helped me & her bind the dark Other deep within her heart; it's no longer lurking just beneath the surface whenever she's in control, urging her to kill, fueling her anger. It's locked up tight for now. Before that, she let me 'take the reins' because it's much harder for the Other to take control if I'm leading then when she is. Now we don't have to worry… for a while, at least. She and I can thought-talk to each other now, without worrying about waking the Other up. She's… She's told me a lot of things; I couldn't help but cry for her."

"W-What did she tell you?" Nozomi asked.

In response, Nyū's head dropped for a couple seconds. When it rose back up, her expression and demeanor had changed drastically. There was a small, sad frown on her face, and her eyes were heavy with sorrow. Nana could see, looking at her eyes, that she was not in the kill-crazy state that she "normally" was; if anything, her eyes looked exactly like Nyū's now, except wiser and… much, much sadder.

"Exactly what I'm going to tell you three tonight" 'Lucy' replied, the significantly deeper tone of her voice letting Mayu and Nozomi know that she had come to the forefront.

"…You're the original" Mayu said. "The 'true' personality."

"Nyū has become as much of an independent and complete individual as I am" 'Lucy' said. "We are both 'true'. …Nana, you and I shall first explain to these two more about our people, about what we are. Then… I'll tell you girls some of what I've been through."

"Why?" Nana asked.

"…Because I trust you. All three of you. You are kind and caring souls, much like Kōta. …I'm not ready to tell him yet, though. Not directly. Not yet. And Yuka, well… I don't trust her as much just yet." She sighed.

Nana looked thoughtful. "…You don't like being called 'Lucy'. So… What _do _we call you?"

She was silent, eyes closed, as if carefully thinking over what to say next. Finally, she replied.

"My real name; the name I was born with. My surname is…" she struggled to remember "Kanade. And… my given name is Kaede."

"…Kaede-san…" Mayu murmured, as if trying it out.

"…How very long it's been since someone's called me by that name…" she sounded wistful.

"Right" Kaede said as she snapped out of it. "I am what is called a Diclonius, as is Nana. We're a genetic offshoot of humanity."

"Nana-san explained some of it to me the night we first met" Mayu said.

"Ah" Kaede replied. "…Well, this is still new for Nozomi-san, am I right?"

The quiet black-haired girl nodded, looking very attentive.

"Anyway…" Kaede continued. "All Diclonii are marked by two distinctive features. One is that we all have hair in some shade of pink, purple, or – on rare occasions – red, along with always having red eyes. The other is the pair of horns growing on the sides of our heads, from the temporal and parietal regions of our skulls. Our main feature, though, are these."

She concentrated a bit, and four translucent, ghostly appendages became visible emerging from her back, ending in human-like hands.

"These are my vectors. They're telekinetic appendages. All Diclonii have them, though the amount and range vary by individual; Nana and I both have four, but I have a 2.5-meter range while she has a 6-meter range. They are invisible in their default state, but with a bit of concentration we can make them visible."

Nana proceeded to do so with her own vectors. Mayu and Nozomi stared in wonder at the two girls' spectral appendages.

"They can be used like normal hands," Kaede continued, "to grab and maneuver things, although their strength is significantly higher than what normal humans can do. I can heft a rowboat over my head with these and throw it 30 feet. Also, they can pierce or cut through all sorts of things; wood, stone, metal… or people; I can cut a person in half vertically with a single stroke… and I have."

"S-So when Nyū mentioned the "Other"…" Nozomi started.

"I try my hardest to limit my kills to those who go after me first, or who have tried to harm me or those important to me in the past. …Whenever I've tried to _not _kill someone, the Other has wrenched control and done it herself. But no longer; Nyū and I have full control now."

"Um…" Mayu spoke up. "When Nana-san sort of told me what she knew about you… Why do you hold such hatred of us humans?"

Kaede's eyes closed, a small frown on her face. "Because in my life, I have only met five humans who did not call me or treat me like a monster, a freak, a beast to be put down. I live with four of them now; the fifth was murdered three years ago by those humans who wanted to see me dead and cared not who was caught in the crossfire. …She was dying. The man named Kurama offered a deal: I be taken captive by the organization he served, and they would save Aiko. …He _lied_. He _let her die_." She looked to a shocked Nana, her voice rising. "_That _is why I hate your 'papa' with all that I am. That's why I've tried to kill everyone he cares for: so he would know how I felt when he _murdered _one of my best friends!"

Nana couldn't speak, too shocked for words.

'Papa… d-did _what_?'

Kaede was seething, trying hard to keep her anger from weakening the seal on her Other. She felt Nyū pitching in, draining her anger away, leaving her sad and tired. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder; she looked up, seeing Nozomi with a sad but comforting and understanding expression. Kaede gave a small smile in return and nodded in thanks.

"…You mentioned an organization taking you captive" Mayu said. "What… did they do to you?"

Kaede got a far-off, haunted look in her eyes. "I don't feel comfortable talking about it right now. And I don't want to give either of you nightmares… which is exactly what it was like: one long, terrifying, agonizing three-year nightmare…"

"I don't wanna talk about it either" Nana added. "It was… really bad. Maybe some other time, but not now. _Please _not now."

Kaede sighed. "The thought of seeing Kōta again is the only thing that kept me going…" she murmured.

The other three girls perked up. "Wait" Mayu asked. "You knew Kōta-san before you came here?"

Now she realized she'd just said her thought aloud. She cradled her forehead in her hand for a few seconds. "Yeah. He doesn't remember me, though; his memory of me has been suppressed, it seems like."

"Why?" Nana asked.

"Because his memories of me are linked to those of when his father and younger sister were murdered right before his eyes."

The three girls went a little pale at that revelation.

"He's suppressed the memories of their deaths and of the time leading up to it. He knows now that they're dead, but he's been told it was in a car crash. …I was around 10 years old. I lived in an orphanage. The staff treated me well, all smiles… until they thought I was out of earshot; then they revealed how 'freakish' they really thought I was. But the other kids were far, far worse. There was this one boy, Tomō, and his cronies. They were always insulting me, pushing me around. I bottled up my emotions and did my best to muddle through it. Then… they found the little puppy I'd been taking care of. Tomō had his biggest goon hold me in place while he beat the dog to death right in front of me. And then… I awakened.

"That was the day my Diclonius powers awakened, as did my Other. Tomō, his underlings, the girl who'd sold me out to them… I slaughtered them all – covered the floor and walls in their blood and the mangled, shredded pieces of their bodies. After that, I ran away from the orphanage. And then Kōta found me." A warm little smile graced her features. "He was the first person to treat me with kindness and acceptance. Where others saw my horns and called me a freak, he thought they were cool. We hung out, had fun together… I fell in love with him. Then… something happened. I really, _really _don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry."

"T-That's okay" Nozomi replied. "If it's painful for you, we won't pry." Nana and Mayu nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

"…I've misjudged you so badly, Lu- erm, Kaede-san" Nana said. "I'm sorry."

"…It's okay. I didn't exactly give you reason not to, now did I? I'm… tired. I think I'm going to let Nyū take the reins now. I'll still be here, though; when one of us is in control now, the other can see and hear parts of what they do."

"Thank you for telling us everything, Kaede-san" Mayu said. "This is… a lot to digest, really."

"It is" the older girl replied. "Thank you for letting me get some things off my chest."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

"…Friends… I like that. It's been three years since someone's called me their friend. …Thank you, Mayu-chan."

With that, her eyes went glazed over for a few seconds as her head hung low. When she picked up again, it was Nyū.

"Like I said," Nyū said sadly, "she's been through a lot of pain. We – you three, Yuka-san, Kōta, and now me – need to help her heal. …Kōta and Yuka need to know about all this tomorrow, okay?"

"We'll tell them" Mayu replied, Nana nodding.

"Right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to use my newfound knowledge of reading to enjoy that book of- _Nyuuu!-!_"

The girl suddenly leapt up, and a vector lashed out and downward, an invisible palm smashing the unfortunate cockroach that had scurried across and over her bare foot when she'd stood up and tried futilely to make a break for beneath a nearby dresser.

"Nyew-ew-ew-ew-ew-_ewww_!-! It, it _crawled on meee_~!-! …N-Nana-chan, can I sleep with you in your room tonight please? I don't wanna wake up to find one perched on one of my horns or something."

"S-Sure" Nana replied. "…I don't see what the big deal's about; it was just a cockroach. Nothing to be af…"

She turned to notice Mayu and Nozomi holding each other.

"Oh, what? Am I the only one _not _scared of those things?"

"Yes!" the other three girls chorused.

The rest of the night was uneventful; Kōta and Yuka came home, Mayu mentioned that she, Nana, and Nozomi had something important to tell them tomorrow, and everyone went to bed (Kōta: "Nyū, that's Nana's room."; Nyū (points to her own room): "Cockroach. Big. Maybe more."; Kōta: "Ah. Okay, then."). The Maple House was soon quiet.

Not too far away, a shadowy creature crept through the night, unseen and unheard, gathering data for its master…

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

1. For those wondering: yes, Nozomi is a canon (though manga-only) character. Yes, she _IN CANON _has to wear diapers due to psychological and physiological damage courtesy of her abusive father. Yes, she bears startling resemblance in personality to Erika, and no that is not intentional on Lance-the-Young's part (I don't think he'd even heard of _Elfen Lied _before I mentioned it off-handedly to him once).

2. A good explanation for what Lucy/Kaede and her "Other" are like… Anyone watch _Red vs. Blue_? Kaede's Other is like Omega – and not the comic-relief like when he's possessing Caboose or Doc, but the ultra-serious, scary-as-shit, hatred-incarnate demon-A.I. from early in the series and from the Season 10 flashbacks, providing a constant artificial boost to the partner/host's aggression and battle-lust, making them more brutal and short-fused, and only a hair's-breadth away from killing everyone & everything. Remember S. 10 ep. 15? "_**Do it. Finish her. We know you want to…**_" Yeah, like that. Except, unlike Omega with Tex, if Kaede "disobeys", her Other can more often than not ASSUME DIRECT CONTROL and start killin' things personally. Well,she _could_, anyway…

The next chapter may or may not come out soon. If it's not out by November 6th, you _know _it'll be a little while, and you know exactly why. Until then!


	2. Arrival

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Kamakura, Japan**

**Next Morning**

All but one of the house's occupants sat at the table; Nyū had finished her breakfast faster and gone out back to relax and take in the day, while the other five were finishing up. Once they were done, Mayu stopped Kōta and Yuka from leaving.

"There are a few things we need to tell you two" Mayu said seriously, Nana and Nozomi staying beside her.

"What is it?" Kōta asked, him and Yuka giving the other three all their attention.

"…You know how sometimes Nyū-san starts acting differently, like a completely different person?"

"Yeah…" Kōta said thoughtfully. "She starts speaking normally and in a tone that's deep and sultry and… sad. I remember after that incident at college, and again after Nana attacked her."

"That's her real, original self" Nana said. "Nyū is a different, split personality; in her words, Nyū's the innocence and happiness she never got to have."

"L-Last night," Nozomi said, "she and Nyū-san managed to make contact with each other inside their head. Nyū-san kept quiet this morning during breakfast because she's still… digesting all the knowledge that got 'copy-pasted', as she put it, into her head when she and the other one touched minds. She's not mentally a toddler anymore; she can talk and read and other stuff now."

"…That would explain the sudden improvement of her table manners this morning" Yuka remarked.

"The real self, the one to whom Nyū's body really belongs…" Nana continued. "Her enemies call her 'Lucy', but… last night, we learned that her real name is Kaede – Kanade Kaede."

"Kaede…" Kōta remarked. "It's a pretty name."

"Before we tell you some of what she told us about her," Nana said, "I need to tell you about what she and I are. I told Mayu when I first came here, and we told Nozomi-san last night. We are members of a genetic offshoot of humanity, called Diclonius…"

And so, for the next several minutes, Nana explained to Kōta & Yuka what she and Kaede had explained to Mayu and Nozomi the night before, with Nana demonstrating her vectors as she explained them by making them visible, carefully balancing three stone blocks from outside with them… and then slicing the three stones in half down the middle with one stroke. The two were both amazed and a little scared that anyone would have such power, especially when it was mentioned that the vectors could carve through people just as easily.

Then the three told them what Kaede had told them about herself: the nature and actions of her 'Other', her hellish childhood and the awakening of her powers that coincided with a psychotic break and her "Other's" birth, watching her only friend die while she herself was held captive for three years in a place that both she and Nana refused to elaborate on, and the knowledge that, when she was 10, she had found a few days of happiness with "a boy", only for it to come crashing down in a way that Kaede had refused to tell the three about.

"Kaede-san's "Other" is locked up nice and tight deep inside her mind now" Nana said. "That's how come she and Nyū can communicate, and she can be out & about and in control without bloodlust and rage from her "Other" tainting her mind. She's actually kinda nice, though she's also pretty stoic, and her mood seems to usually be some level of sad and morose."

"That's understandable," Yuka replied, "given what you say she's been through."

"So in her entire life," Kōta said, "only around half a dozen people have shown her true kindness… That's just heartbreaking. And one's dead, and the other – the first one – she hasn't seen in seven years…"

The three girls looked to each other. "Actually, Kōta-san, she _has _seen the boy who was first nice to her" Mayu said. "He doesn't remember her, because the days he spent with her are close to a tragedy that he repressed the memories of to avoid their pain, losing his memories of her in the process."

"Really?" he asked. "Who is he? Do I know him?"

"Yes" Nozomi replied. "You see him every day."

"Where? At school? At the grocery store?"

Nana took a deep breath. "You see him every day… in the mirror when you get up in the morning."

Kōta and Yuka both went silent with shock.

"…M-Me?" he whispered. "I-I'm the one who… Me?"

"It was a few days before your family was killed, apparently" Mayu said. "When you repressed your memories of that, you did the same to those of the few days you hung out with Kaede-san after finding her shortly after her powers awakened. You've forgotten… but she _never _has. …Nyū-san loves you like a brother, Kōta-san, but… Kaede-san is _in _love with you. I can tell by the way she looks at you, the way she looked and talked when she talked about you. You were the first person to show her kindness and care, and she's never forgotten that."

"I… I wish I could remember her… I really, really do… God, I feel horrible now for not remembering…"

"Hey, guys!" they heard Nyū call out from the backyard (confirming to Kōta & Yuka that she could indeed speak). "We've got trouble!"

The five got up and headed for the backyard… and saw Nyū facing down around a dozen waist-high demonic-looking creatures led by a pair of taller ones.

"W-What the hell are those?" Yuka murmured, scared.

'_Nyū, switch with me._'

'Huh? …R-Right'

The others noticed as Nyū's head hung low for a few seconds, and then rose up with a calm frown on her face.

"I didn't tell you three last night exactly how I got my Dark Side under control," Kaede said, "because I frankly felt you wouldn't believe me. But… It was with the help of a girl who claimed to be a member of a trans-dimensional coalition of multiple space-faring civilizations – in her words, some human and some not; after seeing a glimpse of what she was capable of, I am _strongly _inclined to believe her. And I'm assuming that these things are her enemies."

"After what I've been told in the last half-hour," Kōta replied, "I'll believe anything."

One of the Type-Gs leapt forward, claws bared… and was bisected by one of Kaede's vectors, dark-purple smoke-like particles flowing out in place of blood. The creature's two halves hit the ground and then burst into particles of Darkness. The other Type-Gs snarled, as the two Type-Es readied themselves. In several small flashes of dark fire, several more Type-Gs and three more Type-Es appeared.

"I believe they do not intend to leave quietly" Kaede remarked.

Nana took a few steps forward, standing at Kaede's side.

"I won't let anyone or anything hurt the people I care for" she said with conviction. "Kaede-san, let's show them what two angry Diclonii can do."

The older girl nodded, as the two readied their telekinetic appendages. Kōta, Yuka, Mayu, and Nozomi hid in the house, their heads peeking out through the cracked-open back door. One of the Type-Es began rushing forward, blade at the ready… only to stumble as a thrown _kunai _embedded itself in its upper back. Before it could reach back and yank the thing out, the exploding tag wrapped around its hilt exploded, blowing the lesser demon to pieces. Seconds later, the person responsible made a chakra-powered leap into the midst of the yard, landing between Kaede and Nana. She had short, dark-blue hair and green eyes, and was wearing what looked like a dark-blue uniform.

"W-Who are you?" Nana asked.

"One of Lanstar-san's compatriots, I presume?" Kaede asked.

"Yeah" the girl replied. "I'm her girlfriend, actually. …Looks like we get to play a little before the others get here." She pulled out a blue crystal necklace. "Mach Caliber!"

"Ready" the crystal replied in a feminine mechanical voice.

"Set Up!"

The girl was enveloped in blue light, and when it faded she was wearing blue jean shorts with a waist-mounted cape, along with a black (with blue lines) top beneath a short white jacket/coat with blue trim, a white headband, a fingerless glove on her left hand and a large armored gauntlet on her right, and what looked like armored boots (roller-skates inactive at the moment). Subaru "lightly" flared her aura of magical power, causing the demons and both of her new allies to take a step back from the power they were sensing. She punched her armored right palm and cracked her neck to one side and then the other, grinning.

"Okay, boys" she said. "Who's first?"

In response, several Type-G lesser demons charged at her. She moved forward to meet them, lashing out with blows that more often than not were one-hit kills thanks to her chakra-boosted cyborg super strength. Kaede and Nana stayed near the door as house defense, getting the few that got by the busy blue-haired bruiser; Nana mostly struck to dismember, while Kaede went for decapitations and bisections. A Type-E got its head twisted around 180 degrees by Kaede's vectors, while a Type-G found itself picked up by Nana's and then used as an impromptu flail, smacking a handful of other Type-Gs down before being flung as high and as far as Nana could toss it. Subaru swept the legs out from under a Type-E, and then punched it down into the ground so hard that it bounced, and then she hit it with a roundhouse kick mid-bounce that sent it into a trio of Type-Gs; it dispersed into Darkness particles soon after.

A fourth person entered the field soon: Teana, crimson Barrier Jacket on and Mirage Longswords in her hands. She began carving through most of the remaining lesser-demons with ease, Subaru moving in to support her; the two Diclonii were left with the few leftovers as the mage duet showed the strength of their teamwork. The last to fall was a Type-E, impaled through the heart by Mirage Longsword. With that, the yard was clear. The two turned to walk toward the Diclonius pair.

"We're clear" Teana said. "They're all dead. You four can come out now."

The four non-Diclonius residents of the Maple House cautiously came out, eyeing the two newcomers.

"Heads up" Teana said suddenly to Kaede & Nana. "I'm just letting you know so you don't instinctively attack them for surprising you: the rest of my team and of Subaru's are gonna show up in four… three… two…"

On cue, a Midchildan-style teleportation gate/circle appeared on the ground, and in a flash of light nine people appeared – the rest of Gamma and Sigma Teams. The six occupants of Maple Inn looked over the newcomers, who in turn checked them out, their attention drawn to the two Diclonii; while looking at their horns, Ahsoka absent-mindedly fiddled with one of the montrals that crowned her own head. Kaede noticed.

"They're solid bone" she said, gesturing to one of her horns. "No soft tissue other than the marrow in the center, unlike the things growing from _your _head."

"Ah" Ahsoka replied. "I was just wondering if they had anything in common function-wise with my montrals."

"That depends: do yours grant you a limited telepathic link with others of your kind and the ability to create & control telekinetic appendages?" She lifted a rock with one of her vectors to demonstrate, the vector itself just barely visible.

"No; I have the Force for that, though. Do _yours _give you a highly developed spatial sense and limited ultrasonic echolocation ability?"

"No. I wish they did, though; those sound handy."

"So they only have the 'growing out of the head' property in common."

"Seems like it"

"Right then" Teana said. "How much have you told them already?" she asked Kaede K.

"I… didn't mention you" the 17-year-old Diclonius replied. "I honestly felt that they wouldn't believe me. It was only when those… things… showed up and attacked that I told them of your arrival. I meant no offense; I just thought they wouldn't believe me without proof."

"…I guess I can understand that." She looked to the other five. "I suppose, then, I'll tell you what I told her. We represent a coalition of multiple space-faring civilizations – some human, some not – from various realms, working together in a politico-military and trade alliance, helping each other develop, advance, and – for several of them – rebuild after recent conflicts, in addition to working against a new common threat that has recently revealed its existence, though we are still unaware of the true nature of this threat. The things that attacked you were some of this threat's foot-soldiers.

"I am Teana Uchiha-Lanstar, leader of the United Nations Space Command's Gamma Team. My team consists of myself; Shion, who has willingly discarded her surname after some nasty business with her old clan; Kaede Fuyō-"

"You have a Kaede too?" Nana asked.

"Oh, one of you is named Kaede?"

"I am" the older Diclonius said.

"Huh…" She turned to Kaede F. "Kae-chan, I'm sorry, but I think we might have to go by last-name basis when you're both present."

"It's okay, Tia" Fuyō replied. "We do the same thing when Nagase-san's around, right?"

"Nagase-san?" Kōta remarked. "So now you know _three _girls named Kaede?"

"There was a fourth," Marie said, "Kaede Ishiyama, but she was a bad guy; she ran a sexual slavery ring. She's dead now."

"…Good" he replied. "That kind of person _deserves _to die."

"As her former property," Mai said, "and the one who killed her, I agree with you on that."

"Anyway, there's also Marie Swanson; Mai Kitagawa; Ahsoka Tano; and Marie's sister Sarah." As she said each girl's name they bowed lightly.

"And I" Aqua said "am Aqua Acionna, Keyblade Master, and leader of the Time-Space Administration Bureau's Sigma Team. The others of my team are the sisters Ginga & Subaru Nakajima, and Mana Kirishima." Each of the three girls in question bowed as they were introduced.

"Our turn for introductions, then?" the only male of Maple House said. "My name is Kōta – Arima Kōta."

"I'm Yuka, surname Nogizaka."

"I'm… M-Mayu, surname Hagiwara."

"I-I'm… N-Nozomi – K-Kaushimu Nozomi."

"My family name is Kanade, and you know that my given name is Kaede. …My name is, quite frankly, the only thing I remember from before ending up at an orphanage at age three."

"…Were you abandoned by your parents there?" Yuka asked.

"…No" the girl once known as 'Lucy' replied. "I can't remember much, but I do vaguely remember love and kindness, followed by… fear. I think… I somehow got separated from them, and they never found me, and I ended up at that place. There was that big earthquake around that time; I probably got separated from them during it."

"They never looked for you?" Mayu asked.

"They probably think I'm dead" Kaede replied. She then looked to Nana.

"Oh, right. I'm Nana… um… I don't know my last name."

"Why not?" Subaru asked.

"Those of us at the facility weren't given names; just numbers. I was Number 7, so when Kurama-papa grew fond of me he gave me the name Nana."

"…Facility?" Aqua questioned.

Nana looked uncomfortable. "I-I'll tell you later."

"We have a few more people coming" Sarah said. "How's about we wait until they get here before any more explanations are given?"

It was only a few more minutes before the people in question arrived: Erika, Timmy, Erio, Caro, Asa (whom Gamma kept Kaede F. away from as best they could), and Shamal. Since the house was far too small to hold so many people, everyone set up in the spacious backyard, a portable shade being set up. …Upon seeing Caro, Kaede K. and Nana were quite shocked to meet a pink-haired girl _without _horns; Teana responded by pointing out Subaru & Ginga's blue hair and Shion & Asa's green, as evidence that some realms' hair colors simply had a wider palette to draw from than others.

The _Starshot _got into position in high orbit, the highly-advanced warship invisible to the early-21st-century technology of this world, thanks to ONI- and Protoss-made stealth tech. Real-time holovid transmission links were set up with Col. Holland and Shipmaster Arum (the sight of the large saurian alien on the screen catching the local six by surprise), with recordings of what conversations would follow set to be made and then transmitted to other people of importance.

And so Kaede K. and Nana gave their explanation of the Diclonius race – what they were, what they could do, and the like. It was also at this point that Kaede explained the Silpelit sub-class – sterile Diclonii who aged at twice the normal rate; the revelation that Nana was one caught the rest of the Home Group by surprise. In response, Shipmaster Arum made a note to ask the Vetus mages if there was a way to halve Silpelits' rate of aging so that they would age at a human-normal rate. Kaede also gave an explanation of what she knew about her "Other" and Nyū - how they both came to be, what the "Other" was like and could do, and she also displayed how she & Nyū could now switch places easily.

"Nyū and 'Other'…" Marie thought aloud. "…Theta and Omega…"

"What do you mean, dear?" Kaede F. asked.

"I-It's nothing" Marie replied. "It's just… something from a show I like."

"Could you maybe tell us?" Kaede K. asked.

"…All right. In this one show, there's an A.I. named Alpha. At some point, he was tortured repeatedly, to the point where he sheared off fragments of himself – elements of his very being – in an attempt to protect himself. Theta was the A.I. fragment that embodied Alpha's innocence, trust, and inner child. And Omega was Alpha's hatred and rage. Your descriptions – of what your two 'roommates' are like and how they came to be – remind me of Alpha's plight. Nyū is your Theta, Kanade-san, and the "Other" is your Omega."

"Interesting theory…" Teana said, hand to her chin.

"Got any other fragments of yourself running around in that head of yours?" Marie asked the Diclonius. "Deceit? Ambition? Logic? Memory?"

"No" Kaede K. replied. "Only two."

"Good" Marie said. "Considering that Alpha's ambition – Sigma – ended up being an even worse villain than Omega…"

"Kanade-san," Shamal said, "would you mind submitting to a medical examination at some point? Blood work, a physical, things like that?"

"…I don't see why not" she replied. "Incidentally, do any of your civilizations have advanced prosthetic limb technology?"

"Certainly" Teana replied. "Why?"

Kaede K. looked to Nana, who – to everyone's surprise – detached all four of her limbs, the faint shimmer of her vectors visible connecting them to their attachment points.

"I use my psychic arms to move them" she explained. "If I need to use my vectors for something, I have to render one or more of my physical limbs uncontrolled and useless."

"She lost her original limbs during her fight against me around two weeks ago" Kaede said. "I meant to merely leave her bruised & beaten but not seriously harmed. …My 'Other' did not agree with such lack of bloodshed, and wrenched control away from me for long enough to literally tear her limb from limb."

Kōta and Yuka went pale. "Y-You're sure your 'Other' is contained now, right?" Yuka asked.

"I placed a moderately strong seal on it when I met her yesterday" Teana replied. "But we'll have to deal with it more permanently sooner or later; the seal won't last forever."

"As for Nana-san," Shamal said, "I'm positive we can get her some proper synthetic limbs." She turned to the girl. "Which would you prefer: wholly synthetic limbs, or a basic synthetic framework around which organic material would be stimulated to grow?"

"…Could I have a little more detail?"

"The purely synthetic limbs are robotic" Teana replied. "They're UNSC tech. On my original squad, Noble Team, Kat had a synthetic right arm after her original got blown off." Cross Mirage projected an image of Noble-2 with her very obviously mechanical right arm. "The other type was pioneered by the Phoenix League, and they're now sharing the tech with the others; one of their 'big guns', Ishtar Solos, has this type of replacement left arm. Basically, a complex 'framework limb' is created, with semi-synthetic bone, muscle, nerves, and blood vessels. Then, we use a highly advanced variant of tissue flash-cloning to stimulate the rapid growth of organic parts – bone, muscle, nerves, vessels, and flesh – that grows around and over the synthetic base; research suggests that, with medical _ninjutsu_, this process can be further streamlined and speeded up. The biosynthetic portions are slowly broken down and replaced by organic parts and tissues; within about two years, the entire limb is organic, with only a faint scar where the original limb was severed to show that it had happened at all. …I should mention that you'll want to avoid doing anything too strenuous with the limbs for about a week after their creation."

"…I'll take Option Two, please."

"_Very well_" Colonel Holland said over vid-comm. "_I'll contact a PLF ship with the proper materials and have them sent over._"

"So what is this 'facility' you mentioned?" Subaru asked. "Because I get the feeling we'll be going up against it at some point."

Both Diclonii looked grim and uncomfortable.

"It is an offshore facility built on and into an island off the coast of this town" Kaede K. said. "When Diclonii are born, they are either euthanized by the organization's agents, who are stationed throughout this prefecture in hospitals, or taken by them to the facility. In a few cases, those of us not found at birth, who grow up in the outside world, are taken prisoner and hauled off there. …The people there do not consider us as anything more than animals, to be experimented upon and tortured. I was captured at the age of 14, and I spent three years being locked away, bound and chained in an empty room, sometimes being subjected to… experiments – injections, exposure tests… Once, I was strapped down and gagged, fully conscious and aware while they… c-cut me open to see what was inside, and then sewed me back up and put me back in my cell. When I was 16, a black-haired man with sunglasses stole my… purity. I was only able to escape due to a stroke of dumb luck, thanks to a new guard's clumsiness."

"I was used for experiments, too" Nana said. "Apparently I was one of the ones taken at birth; I spent my entire life there until two weeks ago. They don't give us names, only numbers; Kurama-papa named me 'Nana' a few years ago because I was Number 7. I was…" she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged herself "used as a pain-threshold test subject, and as a vector-strength subject; I'd be chained to a wall, naked and cold, while a railgun was used to fire metal spheres at me with increasing velocity, to see how much force my vectors could deflect. After a round of testing was done, they'd hose all the blood off of me with cold water and then toss me into the dark, tiny room I was kept in. Sometimes they'd inject me with drugs that would make my entire body go numb, to see if that would affect my abilities. A few times… they gave me something that felt like every nerve was on fire, just to hear me scream."

"Most don't last very long" Kaede K. continued. "Nana is something very rare: a subject who not only survived the testings, but came out sane. The vast majority of us are either killed in the tests, or lose their sanity as a result of the constant pain and terror… and are then euthanized. About 300 were killed in the three years I was there. An unlucky few are… harvested for organs while alive and conscious once they're deemed to no longer be useful otherwise; I had a psychic link up with one girl, no older than 10, who was strapped to a table, sliced open, and her organs ripped out one by one by some diabolical machine. …She only stopped screaming when her lungs were removed, and she was alive and conscious for several more seconds until the machine cut her heart out and then cut the top of her head off and pulled her brain out to cut off the brainstem. …There are a very few amount of people there – a few scientists, a few guards – who hate it all, who would like nothing better than to see the place destroyed, but they either get found out and terminated – or 'terminated' – or they keep quiet to avoid that fate. It's…" she let out a shuddering breath. "I used to think it was Hell, but now I know better; in Hell, innocence is spared. Not at that place."

At this point, everyone else felt varying amounts of tear-stricken horror, nausea, and blinding rage.

"Right…" Mana Kirishima said in a low snarl. "These fuckers need to die."

"…_Here's what we're going to do_" Col. Holland said, his voice eerily calm. "_We're going to build up our forces here. We're going to call in another ship for some extra muscle. We're going to assault that base and rescue every live Diclonius still there. And we're going to __**slaughter**__ every last person party to the tortures, and then use the _Starshot_'s ventral energy projector to burn that God-forsaken place to ashes from on high._"

Before Kaede K. or Nana could say anything else, they found themselves pulled into a group hug by Kōta, Yuka, Mayu, and Nozomi. None of them said anything; they just held the two girls tight. Mayu was openly crying as she held Nana for dear life alongside Yuka, while Nozomi and Kōta held onto Kaede like she would disappear if they let go (causing her, despite the mood, to blush at the closeness of the boy she was in love with and the girl she thought was cute). Nozomi began to softly hum a melody that, to the Diclonius, was hauntingly familiar.

"_Lilium_…" Kaede whispered. "I remember that tune. I've loved it ever since…"

"I know it, too" Kōta said. "I have a music box that… plays… it…"

"Kōta?"

"Music… box…"

And then he put a hand to his head as memories broke free, eyes squinted shut as it all came rushing back. He gasped for breath, eyes going wide and unfocused.

"Kōta! Kōta, are you okay?-!"

"…I… I remember… Those days I spent with…" his eyes focused as they met hers "with you…"

"…H-How much do you remember? To what point?"

"…To just before I got on a train with my family… Probably the train that crashed, killing them but not me." Kaede suppressed a pained wince, as she knew the awful truth behind that last missing bit of his memories. "I remember finding you in the woods, beside your little dog's grave. I remember giving you my hat, taking shelter from the rain, the zoo, the river… I remember you!" He brushed a lock of her hair aside. "There's even more sadness in your eyes now then there was back then, but there's a happiness that wasn't there before, too. …I never got to ask you your name back then. I… I'm so sorry I forgot you… Kaede…"

For the first time in a long time, she teared up. "K-Kōta…" she whispered/whimpered.

And she embraced him, and he hugged back. Nearby, Yuka watched with mixed emotions.

'So he knew her even back then' she thought. 'Even when I had barely realized I like him in that way, I had already lost… …And I guess… she deserves him more than I do… I can see her love for him; it's stronger than I could've imagined.' She felt sadness and resignation. 'And he's never looked at me like he just did at her. He doesn't like me in that way after all. …You win, Kaede-san.'

"_I've contacted the UNSC_ Marathon_-class cruiser_ Shield of Thermopylae" Col. Holland reported. "_Captain Summers says they'll be here within a few days._"

"Good" Teana replied. "We're gonna need some big guns for this op."

"I'll set up a gateway link between the ship and this house" Shamal said, readying Klarer Wind.

"Erika, we're going to step your training up a bit" Aqua said. "There are a few things I want to teach you before the assault."

"Yes, ma'am" the girl replied.

"_You all do what you need to do_" Holland said. "_I'll start drawing up the plans for Operation White Spear._"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

A heads-up: Halo 4's imminent release means there will be a slight-to-moderate delay before the next chapter.


	3. Settling In

I got _Halo 4_ about three-quarters of the way through typing this chapter. Due to… extenuating circumstances, I ended up with a little more free time than I had previously expected (and only being able to play through the first two levels as of this posting). Thus, this chapter is out a few days earlier than I had anticipated. Not that that's a bad thing…

I… don't really know what to say about the Season 10 finale of _Red vs. Blue_. Episode 21 was "Fuck Yeah!" awesome, but my views on Episode 22 are… well, not quite bad, but not quite good, but not quite neutral either.

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Kamakura, Japan**

**Later That Day**

Sarah walked through the house, moving past Caro and Mayu and into the living room. There, she found Nozomi, who looked up from her datapad and gave a shy smile as she noticed the tall blonde. Sarah returned the smile as she had a seat nearby. It hadn't taken long before it was revealed to the two respective groups that Erika and Nozomi had the same 'issue', though the revelation that Nozomi's was due to abuse from her father was a bit of an unpleasant surprise. Nonetheless, the two girls were remarkably alike in terms of both that and their personalities, and had hit it off quite well. As a result, Nozomi had also found herself bonding with her new little friend's sisters.

"Hey, Sarah" she said in her soft voice, a light crinkle heard as she shifted in her seat. "…T-These ones that you guys gave me are a lot softer and comfier than those cheap store-brand ones I'd been using. Thanks."

"No problem" the blonde replied. "Whatcha readin'?"

"Just s-some pictures of different starships you guys have. …Some of them are really pretty. I especially love the Protoss' designs."

"Yeah, sweeping organic curves are big with them, and with the Sangheili and the Elvaan. Most of the human ships are sharp and angular."

"Whatever works, huh?"

"Yeah… Hey, listen; we're gonna head up to the _Starshot_ soon, for your Kaede's physical and for Nana to get fitted with her new limbs. Wanna come with?"

"Sure. When do we leave?"

"In about 10 minutes."

"Okay" Nozomi shut off the datapad and stood up, adjusting her skirt. "I'll get ready."

Eight minutes later, the Maple Group was in the backyard, along with Shamal, Shion, Sarah, and Aqua; the others would stay to watch the house. Nyū was presently in control of her & Kaede K.'s body, having been talking with Mai and Kaede F.; her Kaede and Kōta had spent nearly three hours talking and just being with each other, before Kaede felt bad about keeping Nyū in the passenger's seat for so long and let her have control for a while. Now, the two switched again, Kaede resuming control of her body.

Shamal opened a teleportation gateway, linking with the ship, and in a flash of green the group vanished.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Forerunner **_**M**_**-class Destroyer **_**Starshot**_** – Aft Gateway Room**

**Geosynchronous High Orbit Over Kamakura, Japan**

The group reappeared in the center of a large circular platform in a room that also contained a few monitoring devices and a pair of technicians. Shion led the group through a few hallways, soon reaching the aft medical bay. Along the way, the Maple Group marveled at the aliens they saw – Huragok, Unggoy, a few Protoss, and plenty of Sangheili. Among such beings, Kaede K. and Nana no longer felt very freakish at all, and the people – human and not – who noticed them greeted them with professional but friendly demeanors.

"Alright" Shamal said. "Nana-chan, if you could accompany Dr. Shoal and Chief Medic-nin Tokata-san, they could get you measured so the basic frameworks can be constructed. Kanade-san, if you would follow me, we can start the examination."

The two Diclonii both looked to Kōta, as if seeking reassurance. He nodded, feeling that they could trust these people. Nana followed the UNSC's Dr. Jessica Shoals and _Konoha _Chief Medic Kyōsuke Tokata, while Kaede K. followed the semi-immortal TSAB doctor. Within a few minutes she had stripped, and Shamal was checking her vitals. The examination was rather thorough – blood pressure, temperature, a little blood drawn for analysis, reflexes, basic physical tests, and other things, capped off with a scan by Klarer Wind of her vital organs, and a pelvic exam.

"Well, you seem healthy" Shamal said as Kaede got dressed. "Thankfully, none of the experiments/tortures they performed on you at the facility left any permanent damage. I'll send the blood sample in for analysis and a genetic screening."

"A genetic screening?" the Diclonius teen asked. "What for?"

"Checking for any latent genetics-related diseases, getting your genetic signature on file, maybe seeing if we can track down any relatives of yours down there, and also so we can see what genetic similarities and differences there are between Diclonii and normal humans – find out how different your species is from baseline humanity on a fundamental level."

"…All right, then. I suppose that's sensible."

"Why don't you go find your friends?" Shamal suggested. "Maybe you can take a bit of a tour while the analysis is being done."

Kaede walked out, making her way to the lobby, where Kōta, Yuka, Nozomi, and Mayu were waiting. She took a seat by Kōta's side.

"Nana's not out yet?" she asked.

The nearby door opened before he could reply, and the girl in question walked out.

"Everything checks out, dear" Dr. Shoal said. "We'll analyze your blood sample right away, just in case. Also, we'll have the nanites that the Phoenix League sent us start constructing the biosynthetic framework for your limbs; they should be ready to attach in about three hours."

"Okay" Nana replied. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You'll probably be spending the night here after the surgery, just for observation."

She looked a bit downtrodden at this. "…Okay, I guess."

"C-Could I stay here with her, then?" Mayu asked the Doctor. "We always sleep in the same room anyways."

"Hmm…" Dr. Shoals thought. "I don't see why not. We have a few rooms with two beds in them."

"In the meantime," Shamal said, "why don't you all relax, maybe take a tour?"

"Is there any way we could learn more about this 'coalition' you guys are part of?"

"There is" replied a semi-deep, raspy voice from the door to outside. The group turned to look, and were surprised to see a tall, birdlike alien with a lean and muscular build, wearing dark-green armor. A toothed beak was presently shut, pale-yellow reptilian eyes inspected the group, and a pale-red feathery crest crowned his head.

"This is Etak L'Yar" Dr. Shoal said. "He's a member of the 'Skirmisher' subspecies of the Kig-Yar – _Perosus latrunculus majoris_ –, and a member of the Kig-Yar special-ops team Talon Squad."

"There are detailed recordings of various happenings that have taken place so far," Etak said, "but viewing them would take several hours – more time than you all have available at the moment. However, I can give you an overview of the coalition's structure, and of the basic history of the various civilizations."

"That would be fine" Kōta replied. "…I haven't seen many of your kind since I came aboard this ship – only about as much as those tall, blue ones called Protoss."

"The reasons for the scarcity of my people and that of the Protoss aboard this ship are quite different. There are few Protoss aboard the _Starshot _because there are few Protoss left _at all_. A cataclysm befell their homeworld around four years ago, and they have a low birthrate; it will take millennia for their population to recover. As for the Kig-Yar…" he sighed. "When the Covenant split apart in civil war, the majority of my people remained with the Loyalists, fighting humanity and we Separatists. Many of them are now either still with the Loyalist Remnants, or operating independently as pirates, preying on any ships that cross their paths, regardless of affiliation. Only around a third of our people have remained as allies of the humans and Sangheili."

"Wait" Yuka said. "So those tall saurians we've been seeing all over the ship used to be _enemies _of humanity?"

"Yes" Etak nodded. "It is a complicated story, one which I will endeavor to outline should you choose to hear it."

The group looked to each other. "We've got time" Kaede K. said.

And so the Skirmisher spent the next few hours telling his attentive audience what he knew about the various civilizations that made up the coalition, including the various species known so far. Shamal chimed in here & there, adding her input and viewpoints on things. Right around the time that Etak was covering the opening volleys of the Covenant Civil War, Shamal's datapad beeped.

"Blood-test results are in" she said. "Nana-chan, you've got some slight malnutrition – likely left over from your time in the facility, and it looks like your time with these fine folks has already alleviated a lot of it. Neither of you have any hereditary diseases or disorders, thankfully. And… huh."

"What?" Kaede K. asked.

"The results of the genetic mapping are in. According to this, Diclonii are not a separate species of the _Homo _genus. Genetically, you're both humans."

The two girls were rather shocked at this.

"Though I should add that there are enough morphological and subtle genetic differences to rate you as a separate _sub_-species, you're still genetically _Homo sapiens_."

"So," Dr. Shoals spoke up, "we've got _Homo sapiens sapiens, Homo sapiens sanguinus _– the Lucavi –, and now _Homo sapiens diclonius_. Three extant subspecies of human."

"Weren't there two more?" Etak asked. "The Elvaan and the 'Idaltu'?"

"_Homo sapiens idaltu _went extinct around 150,000 years ago" Shoals replied. "And we've confirmed through genetic analysis that the Elvaan are a separate species – _Homo longevinus_, we've dubbed them. …How they – or the Lucavi, for that matter – came to be is still unknown."

"Plus," Shamal added, "we know now that Teana-san's father Tarlis Lanstar was not a baseline human. But whatever he was, it wasn't either of the two other human subspecies that we presently know of. So there's a fourth human subspecies out there somewhere…"

Kaede was quiet as she digested this information. Many things said and things done, by her and by others _to _her, took on a new light with this revelation.

"Dr. Shoals" Medic-nin Tokata interrupted. "They're ready."

"Thank you" she replied, and then turned to Nana. "You ready, dear?"

"Okay" the younger Diclonius said. "Um… I'll be asleep for it, right?"

Dr. Shoals looked a tad shocked at the question. "Of course you will. Why wouldn't you be?"

Shamal looked rather uncomfortable as she explained. "That facility I mentioned a few things about? Apparently, Kaede-san here was at one point… v-vivisected while conscious and with no anesthetic."

Dr. Shoals went pale. "Oh, dear God…" she whispered. Kaede found herself being held by Kōta, chasing away the flashbacks before they could start.

"We would _never _do something like that" Tokata reassured Nana. "That's something that only the evilest of evil people would do to another sapient being. You'll be peacefully asleep while we work on you. I promise."

"T-Thank you" Nana replied. She got up and followed the two doctors out. "I guess I'll see you guys in a little while, huh?" she said to the rest of her group.

"We'll check up on you as soon as we can" Yuka replied.

The girl nodded as she disappeared through the doorway. The rest of the Maple Group left the medbay lobby and headed for the nearest R&R lounge. Shortly after they got there, Sarah and Shion showed up.

"How do you like the ship so far?" Shion asked.

"It's amazing" Kōta replied. "So many people from different species, the technology… And _that_…"

He pointed to the nearby extra-large holoscreen that projected a real-time video image of what was outside, which showed a view of the Earth below like a window.

"Yeah, it's not wise to have windows on a warship," Sarah said, "so we improvise."

Nozomi looked a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden. She stood up, her standing stance almost-imperceptibly off. "Um, I h-have to go take care of… s-something."

"I can help you with that" Sarah replied, easily discerning what the issue was.

"T-Thanks"

As the two stepped into a nearby restroom, Kaede K. walked up to Shion.

"Etak mentioned that you can teleport by homing in on someone's life-energy" she said.

"That's true" Shion replied. "Well, it's technically not teleportation; I shift out of this plane of reality and into the Void, and reappear in this plane at another location. But yes, I can do it by tracking someone's energy or by line-of-sight. I'm limited to about 120 kilometers, though; some of the other, more experienced Dark Templar can jump across interstellar distances, but that's far beyond me at the moment. …Why do you bring this up?"

"While I was locked up in that damned facility, there was one Diclonius in particular that I could sense very clearly. Compared to the others, she was a floodlight among matchsticks. I was wondering if perhaps…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Offshore "Human Evolution Research Institute"**

**Off the coast of Kamakura, Japan**

The cold, quiet darkness that made up nearly the entirety of her life for as long as she could remember was interrupted by a muted 'whoosh' sound in front of her. She heard footsteps slowly walking toward her – someone had somehow appeared in the massive half-dome chamber she was forever imprisoned in without opening the hatch – and sent out a few probing vectors to investigate. She was startled as the vectors were passively deflected off of the person.

"Easy, kid" a girl's voice said. "I'm not here to hurt you. Lemme just take this off for you…"

The helmet that encased her head was gently removed, allowing her long, light-pink hair to spill out. She blinked her eyes a few times, seeing what looked to be a young-adult human girl with bright-green hair, her body glowing with a faint green aura that contoured to her body. The little girl said the first thing that popped up:

"Why are you glowing?"

"I came here to help you" the human replied. "But to protect myself in case you chose to lash out at me with those psychic arms of yours for whatever reason, I'm shrouded in an aura of power from the Tailed Beast sealed inside of me. It's a long story. Again, though, I do not intend to give you any reason to hurt me. I'm here as a friend. What's your name?"

The little girl looked a tad wary, but Shion could sense no hostile intent. "Mariko" she said. "Kurama Mariko"

'Kurama?' Shion thought. 'This girl's the daughter of the man whom Kanade-san has a grudge against? And she's a Diclonius? …This could get awkward.'

"Well, Mariko-chan… My name is Shion. I don't have a family name."

"Why not?"

"Because… I came from a very big family, and a lot of them were evil and did bad things to me. So to disconnect myself from them, I tossed aside the name that bound me to them. …I later found out that some of the family were good people and on my side, and when the family split in two as the bad ones and the good ones came into conflict, I helped the good ones win. I haven't retaken my family name yet, though; I'm still trying to decide whether or not I should."

"…You're not like most of the humans around here. You're treating me nice, like Saito-san does, and I… I don't feel like killing you like I do most of the others, for some reason."

"Well, that's good to hear" Shion smiled. "I'm part of a group of people who want to hurt the people who've been hurting you and others like you. …Mariko-chan, I have a special technique that can put knowledge into your head. It'll give you a headache for a little while, but you'll know more things than you do now. May I?"

"…Okay. I've spent all my life in this place, so I don't know too much about everything that's outside, probably. Saito-san helped me learn how to speak, and I know a few other things, but… Go ahead."

Shion nodded and rested a hand atop Mariko's head. 'Let's hope what Master Ulan taught me a little while ago works' she thought. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them they were glowing green.

"_Elassadh Templari_…" Shion murmured in the Khalai tongue, taught to her by the Nerazim; her voice had a slight whispering reverb to it. "_Komissatta Oelykh Terass… Raszagal Mehmaten, Adun Kiliakoss… Toridas!_"

Mariko suddenly felt a rush of something unidentifiable entering her mind. Her eyes went unfocused and squinted shut as information was downloaded into her brain. She let out a tiny groan from the slight pain of a headache as her mind worked to assimilate it all. Shion removed her hand, the glow of her eyes fading, as Mariko's eyes remained squeezed shut, the girl taking short, quick breaths as the information continued to settle.

As the girl did this, Shion extended the titanium nails of her left hand's three outer fingers and used them to carefully slice away the bindings that kept Mariko attached to the restraining device, and then carefully removed the intravenous lines from her body and the elimination tubes from her lower regions. She gently lowered the girl to a sitting position on the floor, looking her over. Completely uncovered, Mariko's body was visibly malnourished; it seems the facility had been giving her only the bare minimum to survive. The basic computer she'd built into her armguard / blade projector beeped, projecting a 3D hologram of Mariko's body… and highlighting several explosive charges implanted within. Fortunately, it was quick & easy to link with Cross Mirage in orbit above and send the scanned data, and be sent codes that would shut them down for the time being while sending false data to the facility's comparatively-primitive sensors, telling them the charges were still active. Shion pulled out a special crystal and tossed it high. It took position hovering in the air in the upper center of the chamber, and projected a bluish-white light that lit up the area.

Mariko groaned as she opened her eyes, cradling her forehead with one hand. "M-Morality…" she muttered. "Right and wrong… Probably wise that you included that in the package… Though I think I actually knew what right & wrong were already; my perception of it was just a bit… skewed. …So many new words, and meanings, and concepts… And reading & writing will probably come in handy, too."

"I just gave you what a normal 10-year-old would have, essentially" Shion said. "And… maybe a little more. Even though chronologically you're only five; your mental age matches your apparent physical age, though; your brain structure is that of a 10-year-old's, not a 5-year-old's."

"This… This is all so much to take in… What happens now?"

"Well first, we bring in here the person who's been listening in on us."

Shion vanished in a whorl of black Void-smoke, and a few seconds later reappeared with a woman who looked to be in her late 20s, wearing a lab coat over a teal shirt and dark-blue skirt, with black hair in braided low pigtails and deep-blue eyes. Before the woman could react, she felt a hand upon her head, and then she felt as if she were somewhere else, like she were standing in a quiet, deep forest as something massive and powerful patiently scrutinized her from just beyond the range of her senses. And then the hand was removed, and she was back in the real world.

"Good to see you weren't manipulating her feelings or whatever" Shion said. "I can see your affections for her are genuine. You're Saito-san, I presume?"

The woman caught her breath, her heart rate slowly going down after having slipped into 'panic' mode when she was found out. "Y-Yes" she replied. "How… What are you? And why did you…"

"If you had been manipulating her all this time, abusing her trust, like the 'friend' of another Diclonius I know in her past, I would've wiped your memory of all this. But since you genuinely love Mariko-chan like a daughter, I've decided to bring you in to all this. Now I can explain to _both _of you who I am and who I represent."

Saito finally turned her head to look at the other occupant of the chamber, and she felt emotions welling up inside her. She'd heard the child's voice countless times, yet this was the first time she'd ever seen her.

'She's so beautiful…' Saito thought. 'So adorable… Mariko…'

The girl in question struggled up onto quivering legs, unsteadily walking towards the woman. At one point she almost fell, only to shoot out a vector to steady herself, using it as a cane of sorts as she continued.

"I know you're not my birth mother" Mariko said, a small smile on her face. "But you're still the only person here who's ever been nice to me. You're not my mother… but I love you like one anyway. I'm so glad to finally meet you in person, Saito-san."

The woman in question met Mariko the rest of the way, kneeling down and embracing her; the little girl's nigh-emaciated arms hugged her back, as she let out a content sigh. Mariko suddenly let out a light groan.

"My head still hurts a little" she muttered.

"The knowledge I gave you didn't all come at once" Shion replied. "Doing so would've gone right past 'mild headache' and straight to 'curled up on the floor whimpering, clutching your head in pain'. It'll all settle in your head over the course of several hours. At least, it should, if I did it right?"

"You've never done… whatever it is you did before?" Saito questioned.

"No, but I was taught how to by a… person… who's done it dozens of times without messing up even once, so I'm pretty sure I got it right. Don't worry; if I had gotten it wrong, we would know by now. Trust me on that."

"So… what comes next?" Mariko asked.

Shion responded by recalling one of the few spells that Takamachi had been insistent on every member of Gamma Team learning. She focused her magical energy, and a few seconds later an omnidirectional pulse of shifting color raced out, stopping at the inner edges of the half-dome chamber.

"The interior of this chamber is now shifted half a dimension over" she said. "The people outside won't be able to tell what's going on inside, though false data will be fed to them to convince them otherwise. Now, in order for any further explanations to make sense, I need to first tell you two about the coalition I represent, and what our purpose here is…"

Shion spent the next 80 minutes or so giving a reasonably detailed explanation of things, aided by holographic images and recordings shown on a holoscreen. The two were completely flummoxed by it all (the concepts of "aliens" and such having been among those 'downloaded' into Mariko's brain). She ended with what she knew of Kaede Kanade and her group, and the coalition's goals on this Earth.

"As soon as the _Shield of Thermopylae_ gets here," Shion said, "we're going to begin our assault. They should be here in about five or six days. Now, for the next few days I'm afraid you'll need to stay in here, Mariko-chan. However, you will _not _be all tied up and stuff like before. I'll bring in some stuff, set up a temporary short-range teleportation gate device so Saito-san can come & go as needed. You, kiddo, will be spending time getting used to being able to move around, building your strength up, learning some more things, and maybe a little training. We'll start bringing you food – _real _food – and other basic supplies, and maybe get your measurements for some clothing. Also, I have someone who can help you with a problem of yours. I'll be back in a moment."

Shion vanished in a whorl of black Void-'smoke', and several seconds later she reappeared with a floating creature, pink and purple with some dark blue, a serpentine head with six eyes looking at them, as several gas-bladders kept it afloat, several tentacles trailing from it.

"This is a Huragok" Shion explained. "Y'know, the ones I told you about? His name is Near-Perfect Balance. In a little while, I will bring in one of our surgeons. She and Balance here will remove the explosive charges that are implanted in your body, Mariko-chan. …We're hoping to eventually end up with Huragok that are as skilled medically as they are technologically; at the very least, Balance will be able to safely remove and permanently disable the det-charges. …And yes, you'll be anesthetized for the procedure."

"…Why did you feel the need to point out something so obvious?" Saito asked.

Shion's face turned grim. "Because apparently, the people here once cut Kanade-san open and had a detailed look inside while she was conscious and not anesthetized, merely given the paralytic agent so she couldn't fight back or scream while she felt every single bit of it."

Saito went pale and just a little green, as Mariko gasped in horror and hung onto her. "O-Oh God…" she whispered. "They… They _what_? And I've been working here for… They never told me that they…"

"That's not the worst they've done. I'll let you read the transcript of Kanade-san's and Nana-san's explanations later."

"We'll make them pay for the people they've hurt…" Mariko said with a bit of a growl.

"Indeed we will" Shion replied. "For now, though, leave that train of thought aside. My friends and I will bring you some things for your stay in here, and right now I've got to go fetch the surgeon for the removal of those explosives. It might take me a few minutes."

"You came back pretty quickly with the Huragok" Saito said.

"My Void Jump's limited to around 120 kilometers. The Engineer was waiting at the Maple House, which is around 10 km from here. The doctor is up on the _Starshot_, in high orbit. We have a teleportation system set up between the ship and the Maple House right now; I need to Void-Jump back to the house, take the 'porter up to the ship, fetch the doctor, and then backtrack back to here."

Mariko giggled. "Busy, busy, aren't you?"

Shion grinned. "You don't know the half of it, kid. I'll be back soon."

And with that, she plane-shifted into the Void once more.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

_**Starshot **_**Aft Medical Bay**

**Room 2-E**

**40 Minutes Later**

Nana slowly opened her eyes, finding herself resting on a fairly comfortable bed. She groaned as she moved her… legs? Startled, she used her vectors to throw aside the bedsheet covering her body, and looked down at herself. She remembered why she was asleep, what had supposedly been done. She raised her right arm, holding it in front of her face, looking it over. She flexed the fingers, and reached out with her other hand, running it along the arm, _feeling _everything. She sat up, looking down at her new legs, feeling them with her hands, moving them, wiggling her toes. A happy grin slowly formed on her face. She had real limbs again.

The door opened, and Dr. Shoals walked in. "I see you're awake now" she said. "Now remember: try not to do anything too strenuous with them for about a week. If you have to do something like that, either use your vectors to do it, or use your vectors to brace and aid the physical limbs. You'll be able to walk and other things with no problems; you'll probably just want to avoid sprinting or heavy fighting or things like that for a few days."

Nana nodded, as she continued to inspect and test her limbs. She carefully got up out of the bed, taking a few slightly-shaky steps as she remembered how to walk the 'regular' way.

"This is a miracle…" she muttered.

"Yes," Dr. Shoals replied, "this particular bit of Phoenix League medical tech will revolutionize things for the other civilizations in our coalition. It won't be able to solve _all _dismemberment injuries, so cybernetic prosthetics won't be outdated for quite a while, but it will affect a great deal of them. …Do remember that you'll be spending the night here for observation, just in case."

"Huh? But I feel fine. They're working perfectly."

"It's better to have observation and need it, than to need it and not have it."

"Fine…"

"Don't worry, dear. You'll be free to go come the morning."

The door opened again, and Mayu's head poked in.

"May I come in?" she asked.

Dr. Shoals smiled and nodded, and the teen walked in, only to be caught slightly off-guard by a hug from Nana.

"I can actually _feel _hugging you now, Mayu!" the young Diclonius said joyously. "This is amazing!"

Mayu blushed lightly as she hugged Nana back, the other girl still giggling lightly with happiness. Dr. Shoals suppressed a chuckle at the girl's exuberance. The two soon got to talking, as Shoals slipped out to let them be.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

'**Research Institute' – Chamber 35**

**Three Hours Later**

Shion appeared from the Void, having been informed by Dr. Jandala that she and Near-Perfect Balance had successfully removed every last explosive charge from Mariko's body; the Doctor had then been brought back to the ship by the Dark Templar Koszagul – one of three Nerazim-tribe Protoss who'd joined the _Starshot_'s crew in the wake of the Battle of Belka –, while Balance had stayed to help Ms. Saito ensure that Mariko was alright. The Huragok in question floated up to Shion, chirping in greeting. It then led her to Saito and Mariko; the latter had a few very faint scars from the surgery, but the med-tech available to the UNSC ensured the scarring would be faint and minimal, and would heal relatively quickly. Mariko was covered by Saito's coat, which she hugged to her body for warmth and modesty, her face a little pink and her expression a tad downtrodden and upset.

"I hear things went well" Shion said.

"Yes" Ms. Saito replied. "Mariko is free of the means they used to control her. She's going to be just fine. Although… there is another… complication…"

"And what would that be?" the green-haired traveler asked.

"It seems that a life of having tubes attached to perform… certain functions… has left her unable to, er… control said functions."

"S-So I'm gonna have to wear…" Mariko trailed off, not quite able to bring herself to say it.

Shion relaxed a little, having feared something worse. "Don't worry about it" she said softly to the little girl. "Two of my squadmates' little sister has the same problem, as does one of the girls at the house Kanade-san lives at now. You won't be alone, and no-one will tease you for it."

"It's still a mortifying revelation…" Mariko muttered.

"It's okay, honey" Ms. Saito said, putting a hand on her young charge's shoulder. "It'll be okay, I promise. You won't have to worry about a stranger helping you with them; I know how, from babysitting my brother's kids. And besides, you'll probably look really cute~."

The girl in question blushed.

"And once you _meet _Erika, I'm sure you'll get along pretty well" Shion added. "You'll have a friend who's in the same boat… though you seem to not have her serious shyness issues… Anyway, I'll be sure to bring you a package of them, with the other relevant supplies, when I bring you some clothes in a little bit. You know what you're gonna do next?"

"Yeah" Mariko replied. "I'm gonna get used to walking, start trying to build my muscles up."

"I'll see if we can get you some real food soon" Shion said. "That, and some vitamin & mineral supplements, should help build you up to a healthy weight and reverse the damage dealt by malnutrition. And I'll see if I can find the detailed data recordings for the both of you to watch, so you'll know all that's happened up to now."

"Thank you" Ms. Saito replied.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go get what you need. Be back in a jiffy."

And again, she was gone.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Outskirts of Kamakura**

A boy, on the border between childhood and adolescence, stood atop a small hill overlooking the town, the setting Sun behind him. His old traveling bag was slung over his shoulder.

"I can sense a few who are pretty powerful here" the boy said to himself. "I wonder…"

He reached up, making sure that his sweatshirt's hood concealed the cat-ear-shaped horns that grew from the sides of his head, and moved a lock of hot-pink hair from his eyes. Nodding to himself, he got moving, heading for the town below.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next time, in no particular order: new friends, revelations, reinforcements, and what we tropers call a Battle In The Center Of The Mind.

And for anyone wondering: Erika, Nozomi, and Mariko will be the only three characters in the series that have to wear them 24/7, and each for solid reasons (reality-warping magic, aftereffect of abuse, and irreversible atrophy, respectively). I'm not trying to start a trend.

The next chapter may take a little while, as I will now finally (hopefully) have the time to dive headfirst into _Halo 4 _with gusto; time to slay me some Prometheans! And my reserved copy of _Black Ops 2 _comes out soon, as well.


	4. Dive Into The Heart

It took _forever _to get the fight scene written out.

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Kamakura, Japan**

**Next Morning**

"You're sure about this, Kanade-san?" Teana questioned.

"It needs to be done" the Diclonius replied. "You said it yourself: the safeguards you placed to keep my 'Other' in check won't hold forever. We need to deal with her."

The group – Gamma Team, Sigma Team, and the local six – was gathered in the Maple House's living room. Aqua and Erika had their Keyblades out, ready to initiate a delving into Kaede's Heart to confront the bloodthirsty sapient personification of her Darkness. A few others would join them, but the rest would have to rely on the "dream-diving" spell learned from the Vetus mages.

"You're sure you want to make the Dive directly, Kōta-san?" Teana asked. "It could… No, it _will _be dangerous. You sure you wouldn't rather use the dream-diving spell? She'd still be able to see & hear you, and you wouldn't run the risk of being in the line of fire."

"…No" the young man replied after a little thought. "Something tells me I need to be there. And I'll try to stay back if a fight breaks out."

Aqua and Erika took position on either side of Kaede K., who was seated; Master Keeper and Stroke of Midnight were drawn and held pointing down with both hands each. Kōta and Ahsoka readied themselves, taking positions in front of and behind the rose-haired young woman. As one, Erika and Aqua slowly raised their Keyblades, pointing up at an angle, holding the tips above Kaede K.'s head. Twin points of light began to glow at the weapons' tips, along with the sound of charging magic. Both flashed, and a crown-shaped magic sigil formed beneath the five people. Nearby, everyone else gathered around Teana and Marie as they cast the dream-diving spell. There was a pulse of light, and the five felt as their consciousnesses went elsewhere.

(MUSIC: _Kingdom Hearts 3D _OST – "My Heart's Descent")

A rush of colors and the sensation of falling gave way to the view of a rapidly-approaching circular platform that stood out from the dark void. It looked like a stained-glass mural, but it was around two-thirds covered by a pitch-black corruption of sorts, and what was uncovered was dull and muted in color. The five felt as their descent slowed, their bodies orienting. Soon they slowly, gently came to a feet-first landing atop the platform, Erika quickly ensuring that her skirt was down. Soon after, the others appeared as transparent figures, faint threads of light extending into the distance, connecting them to reality; thankfully, they had been taught a new variant of the dream-diving spell that left the person's specter fully clothed.

"This place is…" Erika started.

"My soul" Kaede K. finished. "My mind. My Heart."

"It looks… tainted" Kōta said.

"It feels like something's watching us from just beyond the edge of senses" Ahsoka murmured, her lightsabers inactive but gripped tightly in her hands.

"The Darkness has a stronger hold than I'd thought" Aqua remarked. "Though, considering that it's advanced to the point of having a mind of its own, that isn't _too _surprising."

"Kaede~! Kōta~!"

A new voice made itself known. The group turned to the direction of the source, to see someone running up to them. She looked like Kaede K., except her eyes were wide and expressive, a big happy smile on her face, and her bangs were blonde. She ran up to Kaede and hugged her. The others quickly realized who it was.

"Nyū…" Kaede said with mild surprise and a little embarrassment as, in this mindscape, her other personality gleefully hugged her.

"We finally, actually meet!" Nyū said joyously as she began chattering a mile a minute. "Oh, I'm so happy to actually _see _you! And I can hug you now; ever since we linked and I learned about you I've know that you're someone who needs hugs _really _badly, and since we're both in the same body I tried to imagine what it would be like, so I tried hugging myself once but it wasn't quite the same, but I remembered how we're gonna have to face that evil mean Darkness-Lucy-thing sooner or later, so I waited and waited and hoped and thought, and now you're here and-"

"Nyū, take a breath!" Kōta interrupted.

Nyū's rambling abruptly stopped, and after a beat she took a sharp intake of air. She then turned to "Kōta~!" and latched on with a hug, nearly knocking him over.

"Regardless of new knowledge in her head," Yuka said, "it seems some things about Nyū-chan will never change."

It was then that Nyū finally took notice of the spectral spectators.

"Aww…" she sounded disappointed as she looked at Yuka, Nozomi, Mayu, and Nana. "You guys are incorporeal in here, so I can't hug you…"

"H-How can someone so bright and cheerful be connected to a place that's s-so… dark?" Erika wondered.

"Huh? Oh, I came from over there" Nyū pointed off into the distance in the Void… where a _second _circular platform floated, with much brighter colors.

"It can't be…" Aqua muttered, shocked. "Can it?"

The young Keyblade Master walked up to Kaede K. and Nyū, focusing her magical senses. After a few seconds, she gasped.

"Two Hearts…" she muttered. "And they're connected and so similar. I think… Kaede, I think your Heart somehow became two Hearts – yours and Nyū's; it split into two fully-formed complete Hearts, like cell division. I haven't the slightest idea how in the Worlds something like this could happen, but… there's not really another explanation. …It seems that your Heart kept all of the Darkness when Nyū's split off from it, though."

"So I really am two people in one body" Kaede K. said. "I wonder when the split happened."

"Probably not all at once" Ahsoka replied. "It was most likely a slow, gradual process over months or even years of time. There wouldn't really be a single point in time where you could say that you became two people."

Everyone was quiet for several seconds as they pondered all this.

"…So whatcha guys here for?" Nyū asked.

"To take care of my Dark Side" Kaede K. replied in a serious tone. "Once and for all."

"_Oh, really?_" a woman's dark voice said from out of nowhere. "_All these years I've given you strength, and now you just plan to throw me away?_"

Everyone went on guard, looking around for the source. Nana pointed out a shape rising up from the pitch-black Darkness part of the platform. She looked like Kaede, except her hair was a duller pink in color, her horns were dull grey instead of bone-white, and when she looked up to show her face, her irises were golden-yellow, and there was a malicious, tooth-filled grin on her face.

"Ever since I split off from you," the Dark One said, "I've given you the strength and will to survive, to slaughter the wretched _humans _who've made your life miserable. But now I find you cavorting with them, opening your heart to them… Don't you remember what happened the last time you did that?"

"Yes" Kaede replied grimly. "A foolish assumption and mistake led me to allow you to assume control – a decision that has haunted me ever since. …I now know that though there are many humans who are either cruel or – at best – apathetic to my sufferings, there are some who are good and kind. Those who make up this multi-dimensional coalition that has found us… and those whom I live with now."

The Dark One laughed, a sound that chilled the blood. "You honestly believe there's _any _inherent goodness in humanity? Humans fear and hate that which is different from the norm, and we are very, very different. We will never be truly accepted by them. …He betrayed you before, and he'll betray you again."

"I overreacted" Kaede said. "I took his white lie, meant to spare my feelings, and misinterpreted it as deliberate malice, when it was really just my paranoia and cynicism, along with _your _subtle corrupting influence. …You made me kill those people."

"But I am a part of you, so technically _you _slaughtered those so-called 'innocent' humans."

"You came _from _me… but you aren't a part of me any longer. You haven't been since that day at the orphanage."

"Believe what you will, but believing something doesn't make it true. We are the genetic destiny of this planet."

Kaede smirked. "Believe what you will" she threw her Dark Side's words back at her. "It doesn't make it true."

The Dark One frowned. It was then that she took notice of the other five standing with Kaede K. (the dream-divers invisible to her). Erika and Aqua readied their Keyblades, while Ahsoka's dual lightsabers activated. Kōta and Nyū stood at Kaede's side.

"So we have your infantile innocence personified, two humans, a Jedi, and… Oh my… You actually brought _him _in here? How much does he remember now?"

"I remember the days I spent with Kaede" Kōta replied. "Meeting her in the woods, giving her a hat, taking her to the zoo, playing in the river, and then not being able to find her at the festival, and then up to getting on the train that later crashed with-"

At this point the Dark One broke out laughing, a spine-chilling unstable laugh. "A train crash?" she giggled out. "Is _that _what you think happened?"

Kaede realized what was probably about to happen. However, before she could do anything, she and everyone else were suddenly ambushed by shadowy tendrils that shot up from the floor, holding them in place; Kōta merely had his legs grabbed, keeping him in place, while the other five also had their arms and mouths bound, rendering them immobile and silent. The 'Other' slowly sauntered toward them, focusing on Kōta.

"It seems you don't have _all _of your memory back yet" she said with an evil smirk. "One key event is still locked away in that mind of yours. …Perhaps I can jar it loose for you."

She slowly circled him, like a predator. "It's amazing the impact that a single lie can have" she said. "From a lie as big as blaming one group for something that another did, leading to the deaths of millions among the wrongly-accused group… to as little as answering a question by stating that one's cousin is a boy rather than a girl…"

Kōta's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered doing just that when young Kaede had asked, in an effort to spare the girl's feelings. "H-How is that one thing I told her connected to you?" he asked.

The 'Other' chuckled. "We _did _go to the festival, you know. We saw you… with Yuka. …That lie, that _betrayal_, broke what remained of little Kae-chan's heart. I had been warning her not to trust you, that you'd turn out just like that girl at the orphanage, that it would be better if she'd just killed you right away to spare herself any more pain, but she didn't listen… But at that moment, she realized I'd been right, that there were truly no good humans. And thus… she subsumed herself in Darkness, and allowed me to Assume Direct Control." She chucked. "I… _We _killed around a half-dozen of those filthy beings right then & there. They would be the first of dozens over the years to come."

Kōta was horror-struck. His one white lie had led to dozens of innocent people being brutally slaughtered? Nearby, Kaede K. gazed at her dark 'Other', imploring her to stop, to not say any more.

"We weren't quite done yet, though" the Dark Other continued. "There was one very important thing left to do. …We found a train, just leaving the station, and hopped aboard. It was pretty empty, so we had little trouble making our way through the cars. And soon, we came upon a young boy and his little sister…"

The Dark Other reached her hand out, and a semi-static image appeared before her, of a young girl looking up at Kōta, eyes wide with sadness and fear. Kōta's heart skipped a beat.

'K-Kanae…' he thought.

The dream-divers continued to watch and listen, and several of them – including Yuka – realized what was coming, what had really happened that day.

'Oh God…' Yuka thought. 'K-Kaede's dark-side was…'

"And then…"

A spectral, transparent arm of energy emerged from the Dark Other's back, and with a single horizontal slash bisected the little figure before her; the image of blood flew everywhere, the two halves falling to the ground and then dispersing into particles of light. She looked Kōta right in his horrified eyes, an inhuman fanged grin on her face, the sclera of her eyes black as her golden-yellow irises glowed.

"…I made you _pay _for betraying us" she hissed.

Kōta's legs buckled, falling to his knees and clutching at his head, eyes wide open but not seeing anything in front of them, as it all came rushing back. His little sister's begging him not to hate her, right before she was cut down right in front of him, covering him in her blood. His father barely having time to realize that one of his children had just been killed before his head was separated from his shoulders. The little pink-haired girl with a dead, glazed look in her eyes slowly making her way toward the sleeping Yuka only to be tackled down by him. The horrifying memories, held back for seven years, broke free in a torrent of blood.

"Sadly, you… interfered before we could kill the girl" the Dark Other said. "The blow to the head you dealt us forced me back into dormancy and returned Kaede to the forefront. A shame that, without me, she chose to retreat rather than finish the task I had laid out for her. But still… How does it feel, boy, knowing that the girl you love is the one who _murdered _your family?"

There was stillness and silence for several seconds. Then, Kōta's body flared with a white aura, burning away the shadow-tendrils holding him in place, surprising the Dark Other. His head rose up, an expression of hatred and fury on his face… directed, to Kaede's surprise, solely at her Dark Other.

"_You_…" he snarled. "It was partially my fault for telling that lie, but _you _were the one who twisted Kaede's mind! _You _were the one who manipulated her when she was vulnerable, twisted and perverted her emotions, poisoned her with hatred! And I can read between the lines just fine: when my family was killed, _you _were the one in control, using her body to satisfy your own sick need for bloodshed! _You_, not Kaede, killed my family!-!"

The Dark Other growled. "I came from her! I am a part of her! I am her rage, her hatred, her Darkness! _She _is as much to blame for that day, for relinquishing control to me!"

"No" he growled. "You attacked her when she was at her lowest point, corrupted her, _used _her. And had she not been convinced by your lies and influence to give you control, you doubtless would've found a way to take it by force. You're not a part of Kaede anymore. You're a disease; a parasite that needs to be excised!"

A pulse of Light emitted, shattering the bonds that held the others. The three blade-wielders immediately readied themselves.

"I will see my family avenged" Kōta said. "You _will _pay for all the suffering you've caused – to Kaede, to me, to Nana, to _everyone_!"

Kaede K. stood near Kōta, hopeful yet afraid of what would happen if he even looked at her. However, she then felt as his hand reached out and grabbed hold of hers, and she knew that her fears were unfounded. She looked at her Dark Other, her own vectors coming out and being readied.

"It's time to go, Other" she said. "I won't let you control or influence me anymore. My friends and I are getting rid of you right here, right now!"

"We'll make sure you won't be hurting anyone ever again!" Nyū said, her vectors forming.

Aqua stepped forward, taking a leading position, with Ahsoka and Erika flanking her. "You're a being of raw Darkness and hatred" Aqua remarked. "You're a demon. And now it's time to exorcise you."

The Dark Other growled. "Fine, then" she said. "If that's the way you want to do things…"

She held her hand out, and a jagged, serrated blade formed. At the same time, her vectors – shifting red and purple – came out, the hands at the end tipped with claws. Her hair turned black, as her outfit transformed into a red and black outfit nearly identical to that Aqua had seen worn by Vanitas years earlier.

(BOSS MUSIC: _Kingdom Hearts 3D _OST – "The Eye of Darkness")

"I'll kill you all, and then this body will be mine!"

She rushed forward, lunging at Aqua, who brought her Keyblade up to block a downward strike of the evil-looking sword. Ahsoka was there next, her lightsabers blocking the Dark Other's right-side vectors. The dark being's other two vectors were intercepted by two of Nyū's, and Kaede rushed right at her, fist cocked back and vector primed to stab. The Dark Other leapt back several feet, avoiding the blows, and her vectors reached down into the inky blackness that covered much of the platform, coming up with several flechettes of shadow which she then launched with significant velocity. A powerful, focused Force Push from Ahsoka knocked them all away.

Erika launched a Fira spell that the Dark Other, with difficulty, deflected with her vectors. A fusillade of high-velocity ice daggers were formed and launched at Aqua's command, only to be batted aside as well. She thrust her hand forward, firing a pulse of Darkness power, only for it to meet a wall of Light that formed at Kōta's mental command. Kaede ran in next, her vectors and her Other's locking together, leaving them unable to harm each other with them. As their psychic limbs grappled, their physical ones were used in a close-up melee match, punches and kicks dodged or blocked. Eventually Kaede landed a hit, a left cross to her Dark Other's face, stunning her. Aqua took the opportunity to leap in and strike with her Keyblade, which phased through the Dark Other's body, causing her to cry out in rage and pain as her pure-Darkness form was met with the pure-Light weapon.

The Dark Other went for a rising knee strike that disrupted Kaede's concentration, allowing the Other to wrench her vectors free. Ahsoka used a Force Pull to yank Kaede out of the way of the ensuing killing stroke from the psionic limbs, just in time for the Dark One to get nailed by a Strike Raid from Erika, knocking her back. She rushed the girl, a vector lashing out in a decapitating strike, only for the spectral limb to be knocked aside by one of Nyū's, who came in from the side with a roundhouse kick that hit the Dark Other in the side of the head. Aqua and Ahsoka leapt in, blades ready, only to be sent flying by a swing of the Dark One's vectors, landing on their feet several meters away.

Drawing power and strength from Kaede & Nyū's Hearts, Kōta fired a burst of Light-type energy that caught the surprised Dark-Side off guard, detonating with a flash and knocking her over on impact. She snarled as she leapt to her feet and then charged at him, only for Ahsoka to intercept, throwing one of her lightsabers and severing the Dark Other's left arm halfway between the elbow and shoulder. The dark being hissed in pain, and the black shadows that covered the ground flowed up to the smoldering stump, rapidly forming into a new, pitch-black arm with clawed fingers. Ahsoka's thrown lightsaber returned to her like a boomerang just in time for her to block a downward strike from the Dark Other's sword, both sabers crossed as the blade of solid darkness pressed downward.

Ahsoka suddenly found herself within a sphere of hexagonal barrier-shields, cast by Aqua around her a split-second before the Dark Other's vectors could tear her apart when she was busy fending off the physical blade. The 'Other' leapt back to avoid a falling slash from Aqua, and fired a burst of Darkness that the young Keyblade Master batted aside with the Master Keeper. She continued deflecting more bursts with her Keyblade and with shields, right up until Erika got in behind the Dark Other and struck, the Stroke of Midnight landing a solid hit. The Dark Other stumbled forward, reeling in surprised pain. She lashed out with her vectors behind her, but Erika had long since leapt out of range.

Ahsoka ran in again, and after a few seconds of swordplay the Dark Other brought her sword high… only for it to be hit by a burst of Light from Kōta, causing it to disintegrate. She growled and used her vectors to try and cut Ahsoka down, but the Togrutan teen had fought General Grievous a few times back in the Clone Wars, and thus knew how to handle a four-bladed opponent, using her lightsabers and agility to block or dodge the spectral appendages. She blocked a simultaneous strike from all four of them, as the Dark Other continued to try and push through her guard, her vectors grinding against the dual lightsabers. Ahsoka smirked as her chakra was channeled:

"_Chidori Nagashi_"

Electric-type chakra flowed harmlessly over Ahsoka's body, through her lightsabers, and down the Dark Other's vectors and into her body. She cried out, her muscles seizing, and was helpless to stop a point-blank high-power Force Push that sent her tumbling end over end. She landed on unsteady feet, just in time to get hit by Strike Raids from Aqua and Erika. The Dark Other's form began to waver almost-imperceptibly, as she hunched over in pain. She looked up… just in time for Kaede & Nyū to land a combined cut with their vectors.

The 'Other' stood in silent shock for several minutes, and then fell backwards in two pieces. The inside of her body was raw, slightly-glowing purplish Darkness, and violet & black particles of Darkness took the place of blood, her body very slowly evaporating into them. She groaned, gritting her teeth as she tried to pull herself away from the approaching group. She attempted to send out her vectors, only for them to dissolve away.

"Treacherous _bitch_…" she hissed at Kaede. "After all I've done for you!"

"You've done nothing _for _me" Kaede replied, Nyū and Kōta at her side. "You've done plenty _to _me, though. But not any longer."

Kōta's hands glowed with Light. Kaede and Nyū each took hold of a hand, and the glow passed to them. The two then walked toward the 'Other', glowing fists raised.

"Wait!" the Other felt fear. "You can't do this! I'm your anger, your hatred! You _need _me!"

"Anger and Darkness are not inexorably linked" Aqua replied. "One can use their anger for good and righteous causes. When you're gone, Miss Kanade will be able to do just that without fear of your corruption."

"And I've had enough of living a life poisoned with hate" Kaede said. "This is for Kōta's family."

And she & Nyū brought their blows down at the same time with terrific force. The Dark Other did not have time to scream before she ceased to exist, wiped out by a rapidly-expanding wave of light that banished the dullness and blackness from the platform everyone stood upon.

When the light faded, the platform looked like a huge, beautiful stained-glass mural; Kaede was at the center, eyes close with a serene look on her face, vector-arms extended out to encircle the platform, and smaller circles had images of Kōta, Nyū, Nana, Mayu, Yuka, and Nozomi. Everyone turned to look as Nyū's platform/Heart drifted closer through the calm darkness, taking position next to Kaede's; it looked exactly the same, except with her & Kaede's positions in the images switched.

"It's done…" Kaede fell to her knees in relief. "I'm free of her."

Kōta and Nyū knelt down, hugging her.

"Let's go back" Ahsoka said. "Now that we've dealt with the threat _inside_, we can start really preparing for our _outside _enemies."

"I'll see you guys in a while, I guess" Nyū said as she separated from the hug.

Erika and Aqua raised their Keyblades high, and a flash of light encompassed everything and everyone. When everyone opened their eyes, they were back in the real world, still in position. Everyone stretched out the stiffness in their muscles & joints, and then congregated together. Kōta hugged Kaede K. again, which she eagerly returned, feeling drained but victorious.

"Thank you," Kaede K. said, "all of you, for your help."

"It's what we do" Ahsoka replied.

"So now," Teana said, "all that's really left is to wait for the _Shield of Thermopylae _to get here, I suppose. Shouldn't be too much longer."

…

"I'm bored" Ahsoka said.

"I'm hungry" Nana said.

"…I n-need a change" Erika muttered out, face pink.

"I can change you" Nozomi said as she put a hand on Erika's shoulder.

"I'll fix us up something" Kaede F. said.

"I'll get the Wii out" Marie said to Ahsoka. "We'll play co-op on _Kirby's Epic Yarn _or something."

"Can I watch?" Nana asked Marie.

"Sure" Ahsoka replied.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The boy wandered through Kamakura. So far he'd helped a lost four-year-old find her mom, returned a man's wallet the man hadn't been aware he'd dropped, and foiled a purse-snatching by using a vector to trip the offender and give the police officer time to catch up and pounce on the thief, but he still hadn't found the Diclonii he'd sensed.

"Hmm…" he spotted a nice-looking house up on a hill in the distance. "Maybe that one…" he muttered.

He set off.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

_Halo 4_ campaign completed. …_Halo 5 _and _6 _won't be the same without her…


	5. Bonds

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Kamakura, Japan**

**Two Hours After Destruction of Kaede Kanade's Heart's Darkness**

The rest of the morning was relatively uneventful, as everyone wound down after the battle in Kaede K.'s Heart, and the revelations that had preceded it. Many of the group had either returned to the _Starshot _or gone out scouting; besides the Maple House's occupants, only Aqua, Erika, Timmy, Teana, and Subaru were still at the house at the moment. Yuka was about to start making lunch when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it" Kōta said as he got up from his seat next to Nyū, who handed control over to Kaede (they'd been switching about every half an hour on average, to ensure that both had their time in control). He walked through the hall and up to the front door. When he opened it, he was met with a pair of inquisitive red eyes looking up at him.

"Hi there" the boy said.

The boy was around 4'11" and looked to be 12 years old or so, wearing blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt; from beneath the hood, bangs of hot-pink hair hung, and there were two conspicuous bulges in the hood on the sides of the head. It didn't take Kōta long to realize what he was dealing with: another of Kaede & Nana's kind.

"I'm looking for someone" the boy said. "I can tell they're somewhere in this city, but I haven't had any luck so far. I was wondering if you had any information I could use… or, failing that, if I could buy a snack from you or something."

"Uh… Sure, come on in. We actually have two of your people living here already."

"My people?" he looked confused.

Kōta pointed to the horn-bulges in the boy's sweatshirt hood. "Two Diclonii live here."

At this, the boy's eyes widened. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and pulled his hood down, revealing shoulder-length hair the same shade of hot-pink as Kaede/Nyū's. Overall, what with his hair color & style and his facial features, the kid looked (and, being mostly-prepubescent, kinda sounded) somewhat feminine, though one could still tell he was male if one looked close. Kōta turned his head to inside.

"We have a guest!" he called.

Nana, having sensed something, stepped into view, and gasped in surprise.

"A _boy_?" she said. "I've never seen a boy of our kind before! …He is a boy, right?"

"Yes" the newcomer replied. He then used his vectors to set his duffel bag down while he removed his shoes, and then followed the two into the living room. The others reacted with appropriate surprise upon seeing him, but none so more than Kaede K., who was utterly shocked upon seeing a _male _Diclonius.

"I didn't think any Diclonius males existed" she said with shock. "There were never any at the facility."

The boy looked confused at this. "What do you mean? There are plenty of us, as far as I know. And what 'facility'?"

The two girls looked very surprised. "You mean… You _aren't _an escapee from that awful place?"

"Perhaps we should have one of you or the other start from the beginning" Subaru interrupted.

The boy nodded. "Ladies first" he said to Kaede K.

"Right…" she sighed. "You might want to sit down, kid; this could take a while."

The boy took a seat next to Yuka. As Kaede gathered herself, he looked at Yuka, and the two met eyes. After a few seconds, he gave an innocent, friendly smile, and Yuka wondered why her face suddenly felt hot.

"I grew up in an orphanage a handful of kilometers from here" Kaede K. began. "I have very faint memories of my parents… memories that tell me I _was _loved and cared for by them. But… I was separated from them by a natural disaster when I was three, and I ended up at that… _awful _place. I was the outcast, the freak; they called me an oxen and a demon because of my horns. To protect myself, I shut away my emotions, but they took that as a challenge, and amped up their torment of me. …Over the years, the darkness in my Heart grew and grew, until finally, one day when I was 10, they went too far. I had found a little puppy in the woods nearby, and had been taking care of it. One of the girls, who'd stopped the lead bully from assaulting me the day earlier, found out about it. She promised to keep the dog a secret, so the bullies wouldn't hurt it."

She stopped and took a rough breath.

"She lied. Tomō and his cronies – including the girl – came in one day, the puppy in hand. The biggest one restrained me, and… he and his right-hand thug beat the thing to death right in front of me. …That's when my personality, my mind, my Heart, underwent its first fragmentation. My repressed anger and hatred, the Darkness of my Heart, gained a separate personality, a mind of its own. And my power awakened…"

**-**_**FLASHBACK**_**-**

"The ones who aren't human…"

The young girl's entire body was trembling as never-before-seen rage and fury and hatred built and built, surging forth, enveloping her, her very soul fragmenting. The bullies felt as the air suddenly became a little colder.

"The ones… who _aren't human_…"

And young Kaede's head rose up, an expression of pure, raw hatred and unstoppable rage on her face, and Tomō saw as her eyes _glowed_.

"_ARE __**YOU!-!-!**_"

The boy who'd been restraining her didn't have time to scream as Kaede's newly-formed vectors shot out from her back and punched through his torso, splattering the wall behind him with blood. He was lifted into the air as they rapidly coiled around him while cutting at the same time, quickly slicing him into ribbons, blood flying everywhere. She allowed the boy's tattered clothing, containing gruesome body fragments and soaked with blood, to fall to the floor. She looked out at the duo who'd done the deed, her crimson eyes glowing slightly with a yellowish ring along the outside and the pupils shrunken, her teeth bared.

It was at this point that Tomō finally remembered those X-Men comics he'd read a few times months ago, how a mutant had responded to torment by awakening their abilities and killing those who'd harmed them, being instilled with a murderous hatred of normal humans. And he realized, with utter horror, that he'd just triggered the exact same thing.

"_Humans… don't deserve to live…_" she hissed.

Tomō's second tried to run, only to be bisected at the waist as one of Kaede's vectors lashed out. Before he could even hit the ground, another severed his head from his shoulders. The terrified Tomō tried to back away, only for blood to fly as a vector slashed across his chest, cutting deep, slicing him open and cutting into his lungs. He slammed against the wall, then slumped down and went still. Kaede turned her attention to the betrayer, who was quivering in terror.

"P-P-Please" she whimpered/squeaked. "I-I d-d-didn't mean to…"

"_Liar_"

All four vectors grabbed hold of her, slicing her arms & legs off and hoisting her dismembered body into the air. A vector phased through her neck, cutting her vocal chords while leaving the rest intact. The vector then moved lower, moving under the girl's dress. The vector transitioned to cutting mode, and dove upward. The traitor girl's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets, her mouth wide open in a silent scream. Blood began pooling beneath her, soon joined by shredded bits of internal parts. Kaede and her Other kept her heart & lungs untouched, so as not to kill her just yet, allowing her to suffer as her innards were ripped apart by the thrashing psionic appendage inside her. She vomited blood as her stomach was slashed up. After several seconds of this, Kaede brought the girl close. The girl's eyes, wide as can be, saw that Kaede's irises were now golden-yellow, the sclera turning black.

"You humans want a demon?" she – or rather, her Other – hissed. "You've got one. Such a disgusting race, able to feel nothing but hatred and disgust towards those different, like me. This world will be much better off after I have cleansed it of you _animals_. My face will be the last thing your pathetic eyes ever see."

And then, the traitor-girl's eyes, wide with terror, were gouged out. But she was still alive, and still conscious, so she felt as she was unceremoniously dropped to the ground, and she could hear what came next.

"I've sealed the major blood vessels where they were breached. You _will _die from the blood and organs you have already lost, but now it will not be soon. You will lie here, in suffering and agony, before death finally comes to take you into the fires of Hell, where you and your filthy race belong. I leave this place now. Know this, as you die in pain and terror: your actions have given birth to the executioner of humanity."

The wall was blasted/cut down, and the newly-awakened mutant made her exodus, leaving behind two children dead and two dying.

**-**_**FLASHBACK END**_**-**

"After I slaughtered them," Kaede said, "I met Kōta here. That was the beginning of the greatest joy of my life… and the greatest sorrow."

She went on to describe her time with Kōta, a white lie taken as a betrayal, and her Other's rampage, followed by her going on the run for years afterward.

"It was during my years alone that I discovered another ability that my vectors possess. By phasing them into a human's pineal gland and emitting a certain signal, I can alter them so all future children they have are a special type of Diclonius called a Silpelit. Silpelits age at twice the human-normal rate, are infertile, and their vectors awaken at around two years of age – four years old physically & mentally. They can also 'infect' humans just like I can, leading to even more Silpelits. Nana here is a Silpelit; she's actually only around seven years old."

Kaede continued by describing her meeting Aiko… and the heart-wrenching end that led to her capture; Nana got to hear for the first time the details behind her papa's 'betrayal', and resolved to… confront him about it should she ever see him again. Then, Kaede & Nana described the beyond-nightmarish things done at the Institute in hellish detail; the boy was pale and ill-looking halfway through it, and Yuka responded by putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close, comforting and stabilizing him. She continued with her escape and the 'birth' of Nyū (who, of course, popped out to say hi to the new kid).

"I suppose it would explain why I've encountered practically no other Diclonii since entering this prefecture" the boy said.

Kaede K. told of her time with Kōta and the others of Maple House, slowly bonding with them. Then came Teana's arrival, which led to Teana herself giving the new boy an abridged explanation of the multi-dimensional coalition. They finished with the revelations regarding the Diclonii's status as a human subspecies, and with the recent fight against Kaede's Other inside her Heart.

The boy was silent for about a minute as he processed all he'd been told. "This is… enlightening, heart-wrenching, and horrifying to hear" he said. "This 'Silpelit' thing is definitely new, and a little concerning. And what happened to you, because you didn't have an older Diclonius to teach and help raise you, like I had my father... I… You have my support. When we take that place down, I'll be beside you guys."

"Thank you" Nana replied. "So… What's _your _story?"

The boy took a calming breath. "I'm the son of a human mother and a Diclonius father. They both loved me very much, and raised me to be a good boy. Apparently, they had another child before me, a girl, but she was lost – presumed dead – after an earthquake two years before I was born; they looked for her, but they couldn't find her. Even after they had me, they still mourned her, though they also gave plenty of love to me. Anyway, I was very happy with them, and I had a normal life. When I was five, my daddy taught me how to summon my vectors, and how to be responsible with them. I had a good life. But then…" his face fell. "The black-coated man came."

"The… black-coated man?" Mayu asked.

The boy nodded, his expression somber. "When I was around eight or nine, he appeared – a man wearing a black outfit and a black overcoat, with a big black hat and with sunglasses hiding his eyes, and greasy black hair and an evil, bloodthirsty smile. I don't really know why, but… he attacked us. He was after my mom and me; he wanted to do… things to us, I think. My father attacked him, trying to protect us. …The man had this crossbow thing that fired heavy iron balls with spikes on them, laced with a neurotoxin. He… He k-killed my father. And then he went after mom and me.

"My mother had been taught how to fight some by dad, so she fought him off, keeping him back. And she… she told me to run, to get away as fast and as far as I could. She told me…" he sniffled. "S-She told me to not stop running, to not look back, to just keep going no matter what. She told me to leave her. And… b-because I'm a good boy, I did what I was told. My mother ordered me to leave her to die… and I did."

He hunched over, fighting back tears. Yuka held him close, while Nozomi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm 12 years old now; in about a month, it'll have been four years since that day. I knew I couldn't go back home, because the black-coated man would be waiting for me. So I left my hometown, I went on the move. I never stayed in one place for too long. Over… Over the months and years to come, I would help people with things – all sorts of things, big and little, because I… I just felt like I needed to. A lot of them offered me rewards – food, shelter, money. I was able to save up enough to get my travel bag, and to get clothes now & then. Over the years, I trained; I worked to get stronger, faster, better. I studied under a few martial-arts teachers, picking things up. I trained my body, trained my vectors, trained my mind.

"When I was around 10 or so, I was working to fight off some muggers trying to harass this poor girl, when… something happened. I… I guess it was linked to this one time, when I was, like, four years old. I met this nice lady with long brown hair, and she had a cool-looking weapon. She had me grip the hilt, and she said some kind of oath. Then she disappeared. Anyway, during the fight, this appeared in my hands."

He held out his hand, and in a flash of light something appeared. The rest of the group reacted with shock, especially Aqua as she realized just what kind of 'oath' the mysterious woman had performed. It had a long, thin gold shaft, with a fleur-de-lis forming the 'teeth' at one end. The hilt looked like a hat with a red feather in it, and a blue band extending to form the guard. A reddish-yellow chain extended from the bottom of the weapon, leading to a keychain composed of three rapiers placed together to form a triangle.

"When I first called it forth, its name appeared to me in my head: 'All For One'."

"Another Keyblade…" Teana murmured.

Aqua held her hand out, and in a flash of light the Master Keeper appeared in her grip, to the boy's surprise. Erika followed suit, summoning Stroke of Midnight.

"Y-You have them, too?" the boy asked.

"They're called Keyblades" Aqua replied. "They're a type of ancient, mystical weapon of extraordinary magical power. The woman you met was probably a Keyblade Master, and her 'oath' had to be the Rite Of Succession. …You have a strong Heart, else you wouldn't be able to wield that weapon. But to truly unlock its power, you'll need a Master to tutor you. A Master like me."

"Y… You would teach me?"

Aqua smiled. "You're a good soul, and the Light of your Heart is strong and pure. I'd be glad to help you become better able to protect people. I've already taken Erika here as an apprentice; I have room for another. I'll want to see how good you've been able to get with it on your own, so I can see what you'll need help with."

"O-Of course. Thank you, um…"

"My name is Aqua. I suppose to you it would be 'Master Aqua'."

He bowed. "Thank you, Master Aqua."

"So… Why'd you come here?" Subaru asked.

"I'm looking for someone" the boy replied. "I have a gut feeling that my big sister might still be alive somewhere."

"Well, we can help you look for her" Subaru said. "Right, Tia?"

"Sure thing. We've got plenty of resources to draw from, so that should help."

"Hey, none of us besides Aqua have even introduced ourselves to this guy yet!" Timmy said.

"Ah, you're right!" Yuka said. "I'm Yuka – Nogizaka Yuka."

"You've already learned my name is Kōta" the young man said.

"I-I'm Mayu"

"And I'm Nana!"

"N-N-Nozomi…"

"And m-my name is Erika…"

"And I'm Timmy!"

"Nakajima Subaru, Sigma-3, pleased to meet you!"

"Teana Uchiha-Lanstar, Gamma-1."

The boy smiled. "My name is Kanba – Kanade Kanba."

Several people froze as they processed this, combining what he'd told them with what Kaede K. had mentioned before.

"K-Kanade…" Mayu muttered, eyes wide.

"…Kid…" Teana said. "I think we know where your missing big sister is."

"Really?" Kanba perked up. "W-Where?"

"Right here" she pointed to the older Diclonius girl, who showed a myriad of shocked emotions.

Kanba's eyes widened as he stared at the girl. "K… Kaede-san? Is that… Is it really you…? _…Onee-san_?"

"I…" Kaede squeaked out. "I… h-have a little brother…?"

The two slowly got out of their seats and walked toward each other, meeting in the middle. Kanba looked up at his five-inch-taller sister, and slowly each of them extended a vector, touching the 'palms' together as they gazed into each other's eyes. The bond was nigh-instant, as they embraced each other tightly.

"I finally found you" he whispered. "I _knew _you were alive…"

"I… I'm a big sister…" she murmured. "I have a kid brother… I have _family_…"

They stayed like that for a minute, just holding each other. Kanba's heart ached as he realized the suffering his big sister had been through over the years, but he was happy that she had now attained the happiness she deserved. Kaede felt joy that her parents _had _loved her, that they'd looked for her, but sorrow that they'd failed to find her, and that they were apparently now dead.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, Kaede-_nee_" Kanba said. "If… Maybe if I had been there with you, all those terrible things wouldn't have happened to you…"

"You can't know that" she replied. "Not for certain. And we can't change the past. But… now you can be a part of my future."

"A future that I'll help you shape" he said.

The tender moment was brought to a halt by the sound of Kanba's stomach growling, causing the boy to blush lightly as everyone heard it.

"I…" he said "haven't really… eaten anything since yesterday…"

"Let's fix that, then" Yuka replied. "We were about to make lunch when you showed up, anyway."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Mariko's Chamber**

**Three Hours Later**

Sarah relaxed as the conversation between her and Ms. Saito lulled. Shion had brought her and Erika over to meet Mariko and Saito about an hour and a half ago. Erika and Mariko had made friends very quickly; now, they sat together on a big easy-chair someone had brought in, talking, wearing matching pink shirts, their skirts off and their diapers exposed for all to see but neither of them cared about that, having gotten so comfortable with each other already. It seemed that the little Diclonius was something of a "cuddle bug", happy – eager, even – to hug and snuggle and otherwise be in physical contact with people she liked, though Erika didn't mind at all. Mariko's once-atrophied muscles were quickly developing toward healthy status, and food donated and brought in from the _Starshot _crew was starting to give her once-emaciated body some badly-needed adipose tissue.

There was a whorl of black 'smoke' as Shion Void-Jumped in, having brought Timmy with her; the boy promptly headed toward his girlfriend and her new friend, the two of them engrossed in conversation and not yet aware of his arrival.

"The new kid's arrival has got the Colonel thinking" Shion said to Sarah. "We're gonna perform a planetary scan to see just how many Diclonii there are. There may be thousands, for all we know, and from what Kanba-kun is like most of them are probably living in peace."

"I'm betting we won't see any more in this prefecture, though" Sarah replied. "Thanks to this damned place."

Meanwhile, Tim reached the big, comfy-looking chair that Erika and Mariko were sitting in. "Hey, girls" he said.

The girls jumped slightly, startled. Erika's face shifted to a warm smile. "H-Hi, Timmy" she said. Mariko, however, realized her state of dress in front of a cute stranger and let out an "Eeep!", pulling her shirt down in an attempt to hide her diaper, her face turning pinker than her hair.

"It's okay, Mariko" Erika said with a gentle tone as she softly laid a hand on the slightly-shorter girl's shoulder, her legs in a relaxed and open position, leaving her own on full display. "Y-You don't need to be embarrassed. He's seen me like this lots of times, so it's nothing too strange for him."

"Yeah" Timmy chimed in. "You look really cute like that – both of you."

Erika blushed lightly and giggled, while Mariko's face went bright red due to a combination of not being used to compliments, being complimented by a cute boy for the first time ever (by the first cute boy she'd ever met, at that), and exactly what she was being complimented on. "T-Thank you" she whispered/squeaked out, suddenly feeling much more shy and self-conscious than she ever had before.

'W-What's wrong with me?' she thought. 'This is s-so unlike me. Looking at this boy makes my heart go faster, just like when me & Erika met a while ago. And him seeing me wearing… this… makes me feel really, really embarrassed, but… I also feel warm inside, like… like part of me _wants _him and Erika to look, to see me fully. Oh, I'm so confused! I feel all weird inside… but… but it's a… a good kind of weird, I think…'

Across the area, Sarah, Shion, and Saito were still talking.

"Our backup will be here in a few days" Shion said. "When that happens, our attack on this facility will begin. Saito-san, do you know of any other personnel here who are or may be against the things that go on here? People who would want to switch sides and help us take this place down?"

"I know of a few likely candidates" Ms. Saito replied. "There's this one new girl named Arakawa who's a recent addition to the staff. Word has it that she's actually being held here against her will and _forced _to do research by the Director. I'll talk to her, drop some hints, see if she bites. If it works out, I'll bring her here, and you can do to her what you did to me, to make sure she's being level with me. I'll try Shirakawa, another of my friends here, as well."

"Kanade-san said there were a few good people here" Shion said.

"I still can't believe that you guys purged the Darkness from her. And I'm _really _floored by the fact that you've supposedly found a _male _Diclonius."

"To be fair, though," Sarah said with a grin, "he does look a bit girlish. And he seems to have a bit of a habit of being accidentally charming, and saying things to girls that can be construed as flirting compliments and such without meaning to or even being aware he's doing it. Combine that with his looks and his personality, and with his ingrained habit of helping people in need wherever he goes, and… well, he's puzzled as to why he's garnered so much female attention over the last few years. From what he's described, he's even accidentally gotten some fangirls in a few places!"

"Yeah," Shion chuckled, "and I think he might already be starting to accidentally and unwittingly win Yuka-san over."

"Oh my" Ms. Saito said. "The 'unintentional Casanova' type, huh? I didn't think those existed in real life…"

Meanwhile, the kids had since assumed a new position. Timmy and Erika sat side-by-side, pressed close to each other in the big comfy chair. Mariko was seated in Timmy's lap, leaning back against him; his left arm was around her waist, his left hand holding hers and resting atop her tummy just above her diaper. Erika's left hand held Mariko's right, while Timmy's right arm was around Erika's shoulders, holding her close, her head resting on his shoulder. Mariko's face was still pink with embarrassment, but she also felt happy and comfortable in such close contact with two people she was quickly coming to like very much.

"This is nice…" Erika said in a dreamy tone. "Being like this with you two… If we had Erio & Caro here, it'd be even better…"

"Who're they?" Mariko asked.

"Some very good friends of ours" Timmy replied. "You'll like them, and I'm sure they'll like you."

"That's good" the girl said with a little smile. "I like this… having friends… being held like this… I'm still a little embarrassed, but… I feel at peace…

The three were caught off-guard by a sudden flash of light, and as one they looked to the source.

"S-Sarah!" Erika squeaked indignantly at her elder sister, who was presently holding a camera.

"Aww" Sarah said. "You three look so _cute~ _like that; I just _had _to take a photo of it."

"Ooh, can I have a copy?" Saito-san asked with an excited smile.

"Sure!"

Erika and Mariko were both in the same mortified state, their faces red as they realized they'd been photographed with their diapers in full view. What's more, Sarah had already sent the picture file up to her PC in her quarters aboard the _Starshot_, so snatching the camera away wouldn't do any good.

"Don't worry, girls" Sarah said. "It's not like I'm gonna go around showing the picture to every person I meet – just a few people, like mom, the others in Gamma and in Sigma, maybe Fate & Nanoha if they ask…"

Erika let out a cute little embarrassed groan in response, while Mariko tried to hide her quite-red face.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Aboard the **_**Starshot**_

**50 Minutes Later**

"Wow…" Kanba slowly spun around, eyes wide as he took in everything around him. "This ship is amazing!"

"Forerunner tech with UNSC and Sangheili design flair" Teana replied. "The interior of the entire vessel is semi-modular, and there's a light 'bigger on the inside' enchantment on the hangars and vehicle bays that gives them 20% more interior volume than external. Combine that with ultra-strong shields, extremely durable armor with limited self-repair capability, and enough firepower to level a country, and you've got quite the marvel."

The Maple Group followed Teana, Shion, Aqua, and Ginga to the control room of the Forerunner destroyer, where the heads of Gamma & Sigma promptly saluted Col. Holland and Shipmaster Arum.

"At ease" the Colonel said. "We're about to launch the scan in a moment. Glad you could all join us."

"Genetic pattern of subspecies designate 'Diclonius' uploaded to pulse-scanner" reported a human Ensign.

"Charging power to scanner array" a Sangheili Major-Domo said.

After several seconds, the scanning pulse was released, invisible and inaudible to the people below, rapidly racing across the entire planet, sending data back to the ship.

"I wonder how many of us we'll find" Nana said. "Maybe even a thousand!"

On a 10-foot-wide hologram of the Earth below, tiny points of light were shown. A display was projected above the globe, numbers rising at a high rate. Finally, it stopped, settling on the total number.

"…That…" Kaede K. was in utter shock. "That can't be right…"

"No way…" Nana breathed out. "S… So many…"

Teana turned to the Shipmaster. "Are we sure this data is accurate, sir?"

"Yes" Zhal replied. "To the digit."

Above the hologram of the planet was a number far larger than expected: 50,123,700 Diclonii lived on this Earth.

"F…" Kaede whispered, eyes wide. "F… F-Fifty million…"

Most of the Diclonii seemed to be in the USA, Canada, Japan, Russia, Western Europe, and Australia & New Zealand. There were plenty in other places of course – a good number were in India and China, but the percentage there was not proportionate with the overall of humanity – and some in the Eastern European areas. There were hardly any in Africa or the Middle East, though, and there looked to be virtually none within the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan or within about 50 kilometers of its borders, except for a concentration of them at a spot just offshore of the city of Kamakura.

"For the population to be so high and be spread so far," Holland said, "the Diclonii must have been around for several millennia. Their history on this planet probably stretches back to close to the dawn of proper civilization, if not even earlier. And yet they've managed to keep hidden from the public eye all this time somehow… A subspecies-wide perception inhibition enchantment, maybe?"

"H… How many of them are Silpelits?" Kaede asked. "Can we tell?"

"As far as our scientists can tell from blood samples taken from you, your brother, and your friend, Miss Kanade," Holland replied, "the ability to create Silpelits is wholly unique to you; no other non-Silpelit Diclonius can do it."

"And seeing how the world obviously isn't drowning in bloodshed and turmoil," Dr. Shoals said, "I'd say this renders the institute's 'Diclonii are raving monsters who want to wipe humanity out' theory a load of nonsense. It's nurture, not nature."

"All the more reason to wipe those torturers out" a Sangheili remarked.

"I knew there were plenty of us," Kanba said, "but I didn't know there were _that _many."

"…We can discuss the ramifications of this discovery later" Shipmaster Arum said after a moment. "Right now we should focus on making ready for the battle to come."

"Right" Holland said. "The _Shield _should be here in about two days. Once they get here, and we get things ironed out, the fun starts."

"Follow me, Kanba" Aqua said. "We'll head to the ship's training room. I want to see what you're capable of."

"Yes, Master Aqua" the boy replied.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next time, friends old & new arrive.


	6. Friends

This is a long one. Also, sorry for the wait; slogged through Halo 4's campaign on Legendary to get a couple Achievements (word to the wise: DO NOT go for the "This Is My Rifle" Achievement on Legendary, like I did. TWO HOURS and countless deaths because one of my weapon slots was taken up by an empty MA5D assault rifle).

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Kamakura, Japan**

**Next Day**

"Hey, where's Kanba-kun?"

Teana looked up from the datapad she'd been reading, looking at Yuka. "He said that yesterday he called in a friend who owes him a favor. He left a little while ago to meet up with them and bring 'em here. …Why you lookin' for him?"

"U-Uh… No reason; I just… just hadn't seen him in a little bit, and I was wondering where he was."

"…Uh-huh"

As Yuka turned and walked away, she failed to hear Teana mutter "we've got another Negi" with a slight grin. Marie, who was using Teana's lap as a pillow, chuckled.

About a minute later, the front door opened. "I'm back!" Kanba's voice rang out.

Kaede K. walked up. "Where exactly have you been, little bro?"

"About a year back I helped this one guy out" the boy replied. "I've called in a favor. He's gonna help us. He's waiting outside."

Teana & Marie hopped up and joined Kaede & Kanba in heading outside, where they saw another male Diclonius, the top of his head covered by a bandana with holes cut for his horns. However, two things stood out about him. First was that he was considerably older than Kanba – in his late 30s or early 40s, by the looks of it.

"Ah, so you are my little friend's sister" the man said with a Russian accent.

The other was that he was _big_.

"Buying bread from a man in Brussels" Marie sang under her breath as she eyed the tall, well-muscled figure. "He was 6-foot-4, and full of muscle…"

"Girls," Kanba said, "this is Alexei Andreyev. I helped him out about eight months back. Turns out that he's a member of the Russian Special Forces, and my innocent little act of helping turned out to be responsible for preventing the escape of a would-be terrorist he & his team had been hunting across eastern Asia."

"After that," Andreyev said, "I learned of his situation and offered to take him in, seeing as he was a self-imposed vagrant. But he refused, so set on his mission. So I taught him a few things to help him against those who would do him harm, and let him know that if he ever needed a favor, he could call me. …He has explained to me the current situation. You will have my support when we assault the facility. Also, I have called in a friend of mine; she should be here not long from now."

"Alexei!" a woman's voice, Australian-accented, called out from below. "That you, mate?"

"Ah, here she is now" the man said. "That was fast."

The woman who walked up the stairs and up to the yard was another Diclonius, who looked to be in her late 20s or early 30s. Hair nearly the same shade of bright pink as Kaede & Kanba's was held back in a low ponytail, wearing a dull-brown bush hat with notches cut into the brim for her horns. Sunglasses hid her eyes, and she wore a dull-green shirt and brown vest with khaki pants. She looked to be around Sarah's height.

"This is Sanae Mundy" Alexei introduced her. "Japanese mother, Australian father. She is member of Australia's Special Operations Command forces. She is very skilled sniper."

"Aw, I'm nothin' special" the woman replied as she used a vector to adjust her hat. "I'm as good as anyone can be with the right mindset and amount of practice."

"Heh. So you say. I have seen you make shots that my old team's 20-year veteran marksman cannot."

"And our chances of success go up a little more…" Teana thought aloud. She turned to Alexei and Sanae. "Come on in and I'll give you the details" she said. "Plus, you can meet the rest of the gang."

"So…" Kaede looked at Sanae. "Spec-Ops sniper, huh?"

Sanae grinned. "Yeah, it's a lovely job. Nice, challengin' work, ya get to be outdoors plenty, and I guarantee you'll not go 'ungry. Taliban, Latin-American drug cartels, home-grown wannabe-terrorists… Someone rotten always wants someone not-so-rotten dead, and it's my job to take 'em out before they can start blowing up civilians."

The group headed back into the house (Alexei having to duck slightly upon entering; the house was not built for 6'4" Russians).

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Mariko's 'Chamber'**

**40 Minutes Later**

Three people emerged through the short-range gateport. The first was Saito. The second was a woman in her early 20s, wearing a white labcoat over a yellow shirt and dark-green skirt, her purplish-black hair held in a low ponytail, glasses worn over her dark-blue eyes. The third was a woman who looked to be in her early 30s, wearing a dark-purple suit (the jacket open to reveal a light-purple) shirt, her somewhat-unruly dull-brown hair held in a ponytail, glasses over her brown eyes. They looked around at the bigger-on-the-inside chamber.

"Are these them?"

The women turned to look and saw Mariko walking up to them from a moderate distance, wearing a pale-yellow blouse and knee-length teal skirt. Arakawa and Shirakawa were immediately fearful.

"Relax, you two" Saito said. "As I said, she won't kill you unless you give her very good reason to. And seeing how you two reacted to what I told you earlier, I've got a feeling we can trust you."

"And we have a telepath en route to make _sure _you two are trustworthy" Mariko said as she continued to slowly, casually approach. "And if she says you're not, we won't kill you; just erase your memories of this meeting and Saito-san talking with you two earlier."

"…She's much cuter than I imagined a so-called living weapon of mass destruction would be" Arakawa half-joked under her breath.

"Shion-san should be here in about a minute" Mariko said. As she came within a few feet of them, Shirakawa and Arakawa both noticed the faint rustling sound as she walked, and looked to Saito, who whispered "I'll explain in a bit".

The little girl looked at Arakawa. "So I heard that you work here against your will?"

The youngest of the three women sighed. "Yeah" she said. "I came across the decapitated body of Director Kakuzawa's son, and brought him the head per his request. And then… the Director essentially kidnapped me here to work in his son's place. He shot me in the shoulder when I tried to refuse. I've been stuck on this damned island for two weeks now. I… I can't stomach knowing what they're doing to you girls here. But I don't have the option of leaving, unless it's in a body bag."

"That'll change soon" Mariko replied. She then looked to Shirakawa.

"I'm…" the woman sighed. "I'm the head of the support staff, as opposed to Dr. Isobe, head of the scientists & researchers, and Takamura-san, who heads the guards and soldiers. I am also…" she mentally braced herself for what she was about to say, and for whatever reaction it would trigger "a colleague and sort-of friend of Dr. Hiroshi Kurama – your father."

Mariko's expression changed rather quickly, a look of mixed surprise and sad longing appearing. "I… I see…" she said quietly. "U-Um… What's… What's he like?"

"He's… driven. He devotes himself wholly to his work, though… that's probably so his mind has little opportunity to dwell on the repercussions of his work, or on his past. He's a very stoic man, tries rather hard not to let his emotions come out; I think it's because he fears that if he were to allow himself to experience all the feelings he suppresses, they could destroy him, bring him to collapse. I can tell in his eyes that there's a lot of pain locked away deep down – guilt, fear, regret. And… I think, now that Number 7… Nana… is free of the facility, he only keeps going because he fears what the Director would do to you if he were to ever stop."

"So he _is _a good person deep down, maybe…" the girl murmured.

"He loves you, you know. He wouldn't put himself through such torment if not for your sake."

"And now I'm no longer under the Director's sword of Damocles, though father thinks I still am… …What about my mother?"

Saito sighed sadly. "Shortly after you were born, Mariko-chan, your mother Hiromi saved your life at the cost of her own. You had just been born, but she already loved you so much that she gave her life protecting you."

"…I see…" she choked out, averting her gaze. The women saw as Mariko's body shuddered lightly with a suppressed sob. "I'd always wondered…" she trailed off. "She _did _love me… They _both _did…"

Saito bent down and hugged the girl, who quickly returned the embrace, burying her face in the woman's shoulder in an attempt to hide the few tears she shed.

"I'm sorry" Mariko murmured after a sniffle. "Crying like this when I'm usually so cheerful and in control of myself…"

"It's alright, dear" Saito replied. "You're physically only 10 years old, and only half that by actual time. There's nothing wrong with letting yourself cry."

After about half a minute, Mariko slowly pulled away, Saito using part of her coat to wipe the girl's eyes & cheeks dry. The girl gave the woman a tiny little smile, eyes looking at her with love.

'S-So cute…' Arakawa thought.

There was suddenly a whorl of black 'smoke' several feet away, fading to reveal Shion, the Void-using human reaching up to move a lock of her bright-green hair out of her eyes. She looked to the surprised Arakawa and Shirakawa. Without a word, she flash-stepped over to between them and placed a hand on each of their heads. After several seconds passed, she broke contact with them, and looked to Saito & Mariko.

"They're good" she said. "Looks like we've got two more."

The two women in question felt tension that they hadn't been consciously aware of leaving them.

"So what happens now?" Shirakawa asked.

"We wait for our backup to arrive" Shion replied. "Then we launch our assault on this place, to free the captives and capture or kill all hostiles."

"And before you ask," Saito added, "all rescued live Diclonii will be subjected to evaluations of mental state. If they're deemed dangerous to themselves or others, their ability to form vectors will be sealed until they're given a clean bill of mental health. Hopefully, though, being treated with dignity, respect, and care, rather than dehumanization and torture, will mean that won't be too common an issue."

"And Kanade-san will be able to get her revenge…" Shion said.

"Who?" Arakawa asked.

"Kanade Kaede" Mariko replied. "I haven't met her, but supposedly she's a Diclonius around 17 years old, and the people here have caused her a lot of pain."

"I don't think I've heard that name…" Shirakawa said.

"Her enemies have called her 'Lucy', though she hates that name" Shion said.

Immediately Shirakawa froze up in shock. "Y… You have Lucy on your side?"

"Don't call her that" Shion said with a frown. "As said, she despises that title, given to her by the people here in another attempt to dehumanize her. Her _name _is Kaede, surname Kanade. She's been through so much suffering and trauma in her life that it's led to not one, but _two _other personalities. One of them, Nyū, represents her innocence and inner child, and she's cool with everyone. The other one, her hatred and rage, was responsible for Kanade-san's fall to darkness, and many of her murders. It has been disposed of by Kaede & Nyū in a battle in their collective mindscape. She no longer has her Dark Other's artificially-boosted rage or bloodlust. You can see the full report later." Shion grinned. "Though she'd likely still get lethally angry if anyone were to threaten or – God forbid – actually harm anyone of her new inner circle, especially her boyfriend Kōta."

"Boyfriend?" Arakawa asked. "Wait… Kōta… The boy who was with me when I found the Director's son's head?"

"That's the one. Turns out he & Kanade-san met when they were 10, but… events… left them separated. Now they've found each other again. There are a few other people making up their little group, including Nana – 'Number 7', you would know her as. And recently a young male Diclonius around 12 years old showed up on their doorstep, and it turns out he's Kaede-san's little brother! She didn't even know she _had _a little brother, though the sibling bond between them has grown very strong, very quickly, so an attack against him would probably warrant the same reaction as an attack against Kōta-san."

"This is… unreal…" Shirakawa muttered.

"Wait'll you hear about the parts _not _related to the Diclonii and this Earth – where I and my team came from, and what we've experienced."

"Hey, you still haven't shown me & Saito-san the data-files you promised" Mariko cut in. "Maybe now we four can watch them together?"

"I'll swing by with them in a bit" the human Dark Templar replied. "Let's hope the time-dilation enchantment on them still works…"

"Alright, we'll… wait…" Mariko trailed off, her expression shifting to one of embarrassment. She looked to Saito. "U-Um…" she said hesitatingly, her volume trailing down as she spoke. "I… I think I… n-need a change…" she mumbled the last part.

Saito gave the girl a motherly smile. "Okay" she said. "Let's get you lying down on the cot…"

As the motherly scientist led her surrogate daughter over, Shirakawa & Arakawa looked to Shion. "What was that about?" Arakawa asked.

"Apparently," Shion replied, "a lifetime of having tubes and stuff used to take care of waste removal has left her bladder- & bowel-control muscles irreversibly damaged through atrophy, so…"

The two women looked over just in time to catch the removal of the embarrassed Mariko's skirt, and reveal of what was underneath. "Ah" Arakawa said. "Well, that explains that sound when she walked up to us…"

"She does look cute…" Shirakawa thought aloud.

"I gotta get going" Shion said. "I'll be back with the data-files this evening. I'll let the others know you two are in now. See ya."

With that, she Void-Jumped out.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Later That Day, Mid-Afternoon**

Kaede K. leaned against the wall in the shade as she watched her little brother and Aqua sparring in the backyard. Kanba showed a good deal of natural skill, though Aqua was clearly the more experienced one. The two broke off after a few exchanged blows, staring each other down.

"You have some natural talent," Aqua said, "but you'll need proper training to really bring it all out."

"Good thing you're here, then" the boy replied. "And maybe once you've helped me learn how to use this thing better, you can help me with the other weapon I found."

"Other weapon?" Aqua asked. "What other weapon?"

Two minutes later, the two had gone into the house, heading for Kanba's travel bag in the guest room he'd been staying in. Teana followed out of curiosity.

"I found it about five months ago" Kanba said as he dug around in the bag. "My memories of exactly how I got it are… fuzzy… for some reason. I don't know who made it or where it came from, but from tests it seems to be some type of shotgun-type weapon, only it shoots what looks like glowing orange bolts of light that can ricochet off things at certain angles."

He pulled out a symmetrical thing of grey-silver metal with glowing orange lines. At his touch, it rapidly unfolded, parts shifting through the air as the device configured itself into a vaguely shotgun-shaped weapon, highly angular, with little sights floating just above the top of the gun, and six ports at the 'barrel'.

"Let me see that" Teana said as she walked into the room. Kanba handed her the weapon, and she looked it over for several seconds.

"Well?" Kanba asked.

"I… I recognize this design…" Teana murmured, eyes widening with surprise. "It's Forerunner."

"Accessing _Starshot _databanks" Cross Mirage reported. "Found. Weapon identified as Promethean Z-180 'Scattershot' Close-Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator."

"Kid…" Teana looked Kanba in the eye. "Where did you find a Forerunner shotgun?"

"I… My Keyblade led me to this cave in the mountains, and deep in the cave was a metal box. The box scanned me and my Keyblade, said something in a language I couldn't understand, and dispensed this thing and 15 shells of ammunition, and then it scanned my Keyblade, and then my Keyblade somehow conjured five more out of thin air. Then the storage box shut down from lack of power."

"A Forerunner storage container programmed to only relinquish its cargo to a Keyblade Wielder…" Teana muttered. "Very similar to the old computer I found on Midchilda that led me to the _Starshot_…"

"It seems that whoever left you the ship also left other people other things" Aqua said.

"We recently deciphered that the individual who left the _Starshot _for me to find, and placed that 'knowledge implantation' spell that triggers for certain people during slipspace transition, was a type of Forerunner called a Lifeworker, and that he or she was a direct subordinate to one called the Librarian. …Maybe the Librarian, or one or more of her underlings, had clairvoyant abilities, and… saw somehow that what's happening now would happen. Or maybe she or they set things in motion, butterfly-effect style, that would _ensure _it all happened. Or maybe a little of both."

Teana closed her eyes in thought. "…It's inconsequential at the moment" she said. "What matters is that you, kid, have a Forerunner weapon, and need to learn how to use it well. Fortunately, there is no shortage of people who are quite qualified to teach you what you need to know."

Kanba nodded. "All right. Thank you."

Suddenly, there was a sound out in the backyard. The three rushed out of the house and to the back, along with the other occupants (currently, the Maple House group, Erika, Timmy, Subaru, & Mai). There, they saw as three children stood close together.

"I told you it would work" Laicixa said as she dispelled her Keyblade and smoothed a wrinkle in her black coat, looking at her Barrier-Jacketed companions. "And you two wanted to wait and hitch a ride on a ship… Keyblade Glider is a much faster way of traveling."

"Yeah," Erio replied, a little unsteady, "but having to hold onto either you or the glider for dear life or risk being lost in the Lanes Between was more than a little nerve-wracking."

"It was kinda cool, though" Caro added. Though she did not say it, she had very much enjoyed having Erio pressing up against her back, his strong but gentle arms holding her tight & close around her waist… She blushed and shook her head to clear the thoughts out before they could go too far. Perched on her hat, Friedrich was slightly dizzy from her abruptly doing this, and quickly flitted down onto a nearby boulder.

"Erio! Caro!"

The newly-arrived trio looked to see the others coming up. Caro & Erika gleefully hugged each other, close friends reunited after an 'agonizing' eight-day separation. Timmy & Erio did a 'man-hug', and were then promptly pulled into a proper group hug by the two girls. Laicixa, meanwhile, walked up to Teana.

"Thought you could use some more help," she said, "so… That, and Erio & Caro missed those two and didn't want to wait until this mission was over to see them again."

Kaede K. & Nana were staring at Caro. "I'll be damned…" Kaede muttered. "Teana-san wasn't kidding – pink hair, but no horns; plus she has blue eyes, not red ones…"

"Still wearing that black coat, I see" Teana said.

"I'm used to it" Laicixa replied. "Though… Fate-_neesan _did insist on getting me new clothes."

She opened the front of her coat, revealing a dull-orange blouse and loose light-brown skirt. Also, she wore a necklace, from which hung a metallic-orange triangular pendant.

"What's that?" Teana asked.

"This? Oh, it's… something that _nee-san _and Mother had made for me. It's my new Device."

"You have a Device now?"

"Yes. His name is Voulge."

"Can we see it in action?"

By now, the others had taken notice. Laicixa looked around, the barest hint of a blush on her cheeks from being the center of all this attention. "Alright…" she said.

She walked several paces away, taking position clear of anyone. She took the pendant, held it high, and said "Voulge! Set Up!"

There was a flash of orange light that hugged Laicixa's form, obscuring her features. After a few seconds, it faded to reveal her. She wore what Teana & Subaru recognized as a near-exact replica of the Barrier Jacket that Fate had worn at the age of 9, except the colors were different – the top was dull-orange instead of black, the miniskirt was a cool blue, the thigh-high stockings were deep-blue, and her long hair was held in pigtails by dull-orange ribbons. The dull-orange cape had a deep-blue inner layer. In her left hand was a Device that looked like Bardiche, but the blade was a different shape, and it was bluish-grey with an orange crystal/Core.

"I still think the pigtails are a bit much…" Laicixa said, blushing a little. "I feel a tad… juvenile with them. And does the top have to be so tight as to conform to my… assets, meager they may be? And with this miniskirt, the slightest wrong movement or strong enough breeze and…"

"I think the pigtails suit you" Subaru replied. "And you're physically nine years old; it's okay to be a little 'juvenile', as you put it."

"You look fine, Laicixa-san" Teana said with a reassuring smile. "Trust me. You look fine."

"If you say so…" she murmured unsurely, still looking a little embarrassed.

Kōta smiled. "The place keeps getting more and more crowded, huh Kaede?"

No response

"Kaede?"

He turned to look, and saw the Diclonius in question standing stock-still, eyes wide in fear, as a rather large grasshopper was perched on her horn. She was muttering "Get-it-off-get-it-off-get-it-off-get-it-off-get-it-off-get-it-off" in a quiet yet near-terrified tone. The grasshopper slowly crawled down the horn and across her head, heading for the other horn; Kaede started trembling, her eyes squinting shut as she bit back a scream. "Kōta, get it the fuck off of me" she mouthed.

Slightly nonplussed, the young man reached out and swept his hand, shooing the insect. It took off, buzzing away, and Kaede immediately started pawing at her head, quietly freaking out, and then latched on to Kōta rather tightly.

"Are… you okay?" he asked.

"W-When I was six years old," she said, "I accidentally disturbed a bunch of those things. They all flew at me, all at once. They were huge, and they were _everywhere_… _Dozens _of them… They got caught in my clothes, they flew through my hair… I screamed, and one of them went _in my mouth_, Kōta. And that night, when I was going to bed, I saw one sitting just outside the window, just looking… _staring _at me…"

She shuddered as she held onto him, and he slowly embraced her back.

"So," he said, "for you it's grasshoppers & locusts, and for Nyū it's cockroaches."

"I can't stand cockroaches either" she replied. "When I was five Tomō and his cronies chased me with a plastic container with about six of them in it." She smirked. "Though when his lackey tripped and the box came open, the cockroaches all went at them and not me. Then _they _freaked out. That was funny."

"So, Laicixa," Aqua said to her first student, "I was wondering if you could help us with something…"

**-**_**15 MINUTES LATER**_**-**

"Are we sure this is gonna work?" Teana asked.

"No," Laicixa replied, "but there's no harm in trying."

The four Keyblade Wielders stood in a circle around Kaede Kanade. Nearby was a two-foot-tall Khaydarin crystal donated by the Protoss, and something unrecognizable yet Forerunner in appearance constructed by a few of the _Starshot_'s original Huragok.

"Here goes…" Aqua said. She summoned the Master Keeper, pointing it at Kaede K. At the same time, Laicixa, Erika, and Kanba summoned theirs and pointed them as well. Points of light built up at the tips of the Keyblades, and as one they shot out, converging on Kaede, who gasped as they passed into her without harm. After several seconds, her torso became somewhat transparent, and two bright shining points of light became visible within. The four beams from the Keyblades converged on one of them, and the Wielders began to slowly move their Keyblades, thereby lifting the second light up and out of Kaede's body, her torso returning to normal opaqueness as it was lifted free.

The second point was moved to the odd machine with the Khaydarin crystal floating over it. The machine whirred to life and the crystal glowed, and tendrils of energy shot out, grabbing hold of the shining light and enveloping it. Everyone watched as a form took shape, rapidly growing around the light. It was soon identifiable as the shape of a human. There was a bright flash of light, and everyone shielded their eyes.

"…Did it work?" Kaede K. asked.

Everyone looked and saw Kaede getting to her feet. Nearby, in front of the machine/crystal array, another young woman who looked exactly like her was on her knees. The second girl's bangs were blond while the rest of her hair was hot-pink, and when she opened their eyes there was wide innocence to them that Kaede's had long since lost. Yuka quickly draped a robe over her to preserve her modesty.

"Nyū?" Kaede K. asked. "Can you hear me? Did it work?"

She responded by latching onto Kaede with a hug. "Yeah" Nyū replied. "It worked, sis. It worked."

The four Keybladers breathed sighs of relief. "I wasn't entirely sure I could do it…" Aqua admitted. "But it seems my worries were unfounded."

It wasn't long before Nyū switched to hugging the others of Maple Group in succession. Suddenly, Cross Mirage beeped.

"What's up?" Subaru asked.

"Sarah just sent me a picture" Teana replied. She called it up. "Aww…" she said with a smile.

Subaru giggled as she looked at the picture of Timmy, Mariko, and Erika. "They're so cute like that."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Mariko's 'Chamber'**

**Four Hours Later (7:15 PM)**

For him, the past hour or so had been unbelievable. First, Shirakawa had come to him, looking nervous and making sure that there was no-one else listening before she then told him several incredible things… including how his daughter had been 'taught' right & wrong (such as why it was bad to indiscriminately kill anyone in range), and then that a mysterious third party had become involved, leading to her implanted explosives being clandestinely removed. After a while of explaining all sorts of things, she had led him to a teleporter of sorts that carried the two of them into a massive, half-dome room. And there, he'd seen his little Mariko for the first time, a short distance away, doing some sort of exercise. She hadn't noticed him yet, and he'd simply stood there, watching her.

"She's an adorably cheerful little girl" Shirakawa had said as she & he watched Mariko. "A little slow to trust, but those she _does _trust she's happy to hug and be in physical contact with whenever possible – Saito-san calls her a 'cuddle-bug'. She's already learned all sorts of… non-lethal applications of her vectors, delicate stuff. She's apparently on a diet to fix the fact that she's underweight, help her build up fat, muscle, and bone density. Also, it turns out that she needs diapers; her control muscles for those functions have atrophied irreversibly. Also, she knows that Saito-san isn't her birth mother, but has stated that she still loves her as such and would not be averse to adoption."

And then the green-haired girl had appeared from nowhere, bringing _Nana _of all people! …And upon spotting him, Nana's reaction had been… less positive than he had hoped. Now, Dr. Kurama found himself pinned to a wall, Nana advancing on him with a deliberately neutral expression. The others, including Mariko, had taken notice of the sudden spectacle.

"Papa…" Nana said. "I've been talking with Kanade Kaede-san, the girl you know as Lucy. I live with her now, y'know. She told us her past, including…" her face shifted to a frown directed at him "a story involving you and a girl named Aiko who you stood back and let die."

'Oh, damn it' Kurama thought. 'Now her misunderstood version of the story's been passed to Nana.'

"I didn't let the girl die" Dr. Kurama replied. "I tried to save her. Honestly, I did! But then…" his expression soured. "The Director himself walked in, whilst we were in the middle of trying to keep her alive. He pulled his gun out and shot her in the head, and then killed the three doctors who tried to stop him. Then he just turned around and walked out."

"He's telling the truth" Shion said, her eyes glowing green slightly. "I can sense it. This man is innocent of that girl's death. Kanade-san's been going after the wrong guy."

Nana looked surprised, as she relinquished her vectors' hold on the man, allowing him freedom. "I see…" she muttered. "S-Sorry, papa."

"Father?"

The man looked to see Mariko approaching him slowly, eyes wide. "Dad… Is that you?" she whispered.

"Mariko…" his tone was soft, emotion coming forth.

She got a few steps closer, and then ran into his arms, father and daughter embracing for the first time ever.

"I've always…" she whimpered "wanted to see you… wanted to be held by you… Daddy…"

They stayed like that for a minute, neither saying anything more. Eventually, they slowly broke apart, still gazing into each other's eyes. Nana stood by, quiet, with a smile on her face from the heartwarming scene. Mariko turned, finally noticing her.

"You called him 'papa'" she said. "I'm assuming this means you're the girl named Nana that Shion-san told me a little about?"

"Yeah" Nana replied. "He pretty much raised me, taught me things… kept me sane. He didn't father me, but he's still my papa. I… actually came here to meet you. I figured it'd be nice to get to know my… little sister…"

Mariko walked up to her, staring up at her with an adorable smile. "I'm glad to meet you, too… _onee-chan_."

"S…" Nana looked as if she were struggling, a blush rising on her face. Her struggle was lost, as she promptly pulled Mariko into a surprise snuggle-hug.

"_So cuuute!-!_" she squeed as she held the smaller girl to herself. Mariko was caught off-guard, but after a few seconds couldn't help but giggle with happiness (and at how silly her 'new big sis' was being). "I can't believe my little sister is this _cute~_!"

The adults watched with mirth as Nana & Mariko continued to bond. Shion then turned to the adults. "I brought the data-files" she said. "The temporal dilation enchantment is still in place, so it'll take… around four and a half hours in real-time for you guys to watch it all. We'll be showing it to the Maple Group at the same time."

"Thank you" Saito replied, bowing as she accepted the odd-looking device from the girl.

"I have to get going now" the girl said. "Come on, Nana! You can play with her later!"

"Awww…" Nana groaned, disappointed. "I promise I'll be back, Mari-chan" she said to the girl.

"'Kay" Mariko replied. "See ya, _onee-chan_."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Aboard the **_**Starshot**_

**Next Day – 10:15 AM**

"Such a magnificent vessel…" Alexei said as he looked all around him. Everyone stood in the port recreation area, looking at the holo-projection that served as a window.

"_Slipstream mass detected_" an Ensign reported over the nearby comm. terminal. "_They'll be here any moment now._"

"Do you really think two warships' worth of soldiers will be necessary to take the facility?" Yuka asked Gamma Team's girls.

"Probably not" Teana replied. "But better safe than sorry. Plus, the _Shield _is presently loaded up with medical techs and engineers and other folks like that, to help take care of the Diclonii we'll rescue and to examine & dismantle the facility."

Suddenly, the viewscreen displayed the darkness of space outside the ship being abruptly lit up by a wavering bluish-white portal. Out of it came a large, blocky & angular grey and black ship – a UNSC _Marathon_-class heavy cruiser. On its side was printed "UNSC SHIELD OF THERMOPYLAE". The 1190-meter vessel settled in beside the 1600-meter Forerunner-made warship. A voice came over the comm.

"_Coalition ship _Starshot_, this is Captain Summers of the UNSC _Shield of Thermopylae_. We are on station, ready to assist._"

"_Copy that, Summers_" Col. Holland's voice replied. "_Come on over for a debrief. We'll have coffee and donuts waiting for you._"

"_Looking forward to it, Colonel. Summers out._"

The group headed over to the _Starshot_'s portside docking area, just in time to catch the docking hatch doors opening. The first man through was a man in his late 40s or early 50s, with dirty-blond hair, wearing a UNSC officer's uniform. On his left chest was the name-plate "R. Summers", and the right bore the silver eagle of an O-6. Next came his XO, a woman with dull-red hair, the nameplate "T. Rickers", and the gold leaf insignia of a Lieutenant-Commander. The third & last figure, however, was what drew the Maple Group's attention. He was a hair less than seven feet tall, covered head-to-toe in metallic green MJOLNIR Mark-7 armor, a gold-orange visor obscuring his face inside his helmet. On the left side of his chestplate was printed "SPARTAN-051".

"So we're getting Kurt for this op?" Teana said. "Nice."

Holland showed up within seconds, and he & Summers shook hands. "Welcome aboard, Captain Summers" Holland said. "Rickers, Sierra-51" he nodded to the other two. "If you folks would follow me…"

He set off, leading the trio to the briefing room; Gamma, Sigma, and Maple Groups followed behind, ready to add their own intel and perspectives.

Nearly 40 minutes later, the debriefing was complete (for the moment; who knew what could happen between that point and the time of assault?). As everyone filed out, however…

"Sir!" a PLF marine came running up to Holland and the others. "We just got word from operative Saito down on the planet! They're under attack! It sounds like it's the same things that attacked Midchilda not too long ago!"

"How widespread is the fighting?" Teana asked.

"Seems like it's isolated to within the chamber" the man replied. "The rest of the facility is still unaware of anything happening in there. But they're in trouble!"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Mariko's 'Chamber'**

Another two Type-G demons fell to the ground in pieces after getting within 11 meters of Mariko. The girl fired the M7 SMG that was from a crate of "light" weapons Koszagul had brought in "just in case", taking down three more of the little bastards. A Type-E rushed at her, only to go down from a .45-caliber SAP-HE round through the skull, fired by the M6D pistol Dr. Kurama had grabbed from the crate. Fortunately, very few of these things had any ranged weapons, necessitating that they rush in close and promptly get sliced & diced by Mariko's vectors or gunned down mid-charge. Dr. Kurama was using his new scoped pistol to 'snipe' the few that did have guns before they could do any serious damage with them.

Suddenly, Shion warped in. She fired a few rounds from her arm-mounted multi-weapon in 'plasma repeater' mode, and then moved about behind the group, dropping a trio of Protoss-designed emitters of some sort. Once all three were in place, they shot out beams of energy that converged at the mid-point, and a portal formed. From it emerged a squad of PLF & UNSC marines, who opened fire on the horde. Teana, Mana K., and Asa emerged next, firing Mirage Rifle on full-auto mode, a Koprulu-Terran C14 assault rifle, and a UNSC MA5C assault rifle, respectively.

"Looks like you guys needed some help!" Mana said. "Damn good thing for you that we're here, eh?"

A heavily-armored Type-E charged at the group, his armor deflecting bullets… only for a rocket to streak in from behind the group and impact it, blowing it to chunks. Another rocket shot out, blowing several Type-Gs away. Dr. Kurama and Shirakawa looked as a tall, muscled male Diclonius walked between them, reloading a UNSC M41 rocket launcher. Alexei then slung the weapon over his back and shouldered a BR55 rifle, firing well-aimed shots that cut the enemy's numbers down further.

At the same time, Arakawa fired the M6C she'd grabbed, taking down a trio of Type-Gs who tried to sneak around and get her. Suddenly, a Type-E leapt at her, and she cowered… and then a barrage of hard-light pellets struck the creature mid-jump. It hit the ground in front of her, its body dissolving into orange particles. Arakawa turned to see a 12-year-old Diclonius boy wielding an alien-looking shotgun. "Don't worry, miss" Kanba said. "Cavalry's here." He used his Scattershot to take down two Type-Gs, and then switched to his Keyblade and began hacking through more of them.

Then, Kurt-051 came through the portal, the Spartan-II firing his BR55 with precision and speed, cutting the enemy's numbers down even further. Needle Rifle shots joined in as Chen S'Yar and two of his squadmates crossed over. Everyone continued pouring fire into the enemy, rapidly whittling down their ranks. Soon, there were only a few left. Within a few minutes, the last Type-E fell, its upper chest blown open by a super-combine blast courtesy of S'Yar's needle rifle. The few remaining Type-Gs fell soon after, leaving the chamber quiet again.

"Thank goodness you all responded so quickly" Saito said to Teana. "I was worried help wouldn't get here before one of us got seriously hurt."

"From the looks of it," Teana replied, "Mariko-chan did a good job of thinning the herd."

"We can't be sure this won't happen again" Kurt-051 said as he walked up to the five just-rescued locals. "I recommend we get you five out of here, have you come with us. We're going to launch our attack tomorrow, anyway. Your knowledge of this place could come in handy for final planning."

"Agreed" Teana said. "You guys will be safer on the ships or at the Maple House."

The four defectors and the little Diclonius conferred for a moment, before coming to a unanimous decision. "We'll come" Shirakawa said.

"Excellent. If you'd just follow us…"

"I'll set the portal generators to self-destruct 10 seconds after the last person goes through" Shion said. "That way, if the institute's personnel somehow get in here, they won't be able to use anything."

As the marines volunteered (or 'got volunteered') to help move the supplies dropped off in the chamber over the past few days, Dr. Kurama walked up to Teana.

"Has Nana informed you of her & my conversation yesterday?" he asked.

"Yes" Asa replied. "She told everyone, including Kanade-san, who had what Marie-san called a 'blue-screen moment' when it sank in that she'd been pursuing a vendetta against the wrong man. She won't attack you on sight, if that's what you're wondering."

"Ah. Good."

"She has been through far too much suffering for a child her age" Alexei said as he walked up. "We intend to rectify that."

"Child?" Shirakawa asked, remembering the young woman's rather mature build.

"Seventeen years" Alexei replied. "Still child. Plus, I am 41; she is child next to me. Brave child, though, and mature… _too _mature for her age. She has eyes of old, long-suffering soul – not good to see in someone who, at her age, should be worrying about high-school, boys, and which college to attend."

"Maybe when this is all over," Kanba said when he walked up, "_nee-san _can actually get to relax and let herself act as young as she is."

"Hmph" Alexei smirked. "You are bit overly mature for your age too, little man. However, you still know how & when to let guard down and have fun – something your sister has forgotten."

"And which Kōta-san, Nyū-_nee_, and I intend to help her remember."

Within minutes, all the supplies had been moved through the portal, and the people soon followed. Shion was the last through, and the portal closed behind her. 10 seconds later, the three emitters fell apart, emitting sparks as their internal systems self-fried.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Back on the **_**Starshot**_

No sooner had everyone returned through the portal than Erika had run up to Mariko, fussing over her.

"M-Mariko!" she near-shouted. "Thank goodness you're all right! Are you okay? A-Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine, Erika" Mariko replied with a smile, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder to calm her down. "Really, I'm fine."

"You sure?" Timmy asked as he walked up. "It sounded like it got a little hectic down there."

She giggled. "Honestly, you two. You don't need to worry; I may not have your training… yet… but my vectors are more than enough to protect me… and, apparently, to brace my arms and cancel out recoil when firing a submachine gun."

Nevertheless, the two pulled her into a 3-person hug, which she gleefully took part in, as the four defectors looked on. "She's really gotten close with those two" Saito explained to the other three. "Remind me to show you guys this one really cute picture Erika's sister took of them."

"Oh, come on, Mariko!" Erika said excitedly, pulling her along. "I want you to come meet Erio & Caro; they just showed up yesterday!"

As the little Diclonius was led away, the four defectors saw as Kaede Kanade came out. She looked them over for several seconds, nobody saying anything. Then, she nodded to them and walked away.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Kamakura, Japan**

**Local Beach**

**7:30 PM – Sunset**

"Tomorrow's the big day…" Kaede K. said as she leaned against Kōta, her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah…" he replied, his arm around her waist. "We'll free your people, and get back at the bastards who tortured you and them."

The two looked out over the ocean, listening to the waves and the wind, all beneath the red-orange sky. Several meters behind them, a man with buzz-cut hair, wearing sunglasses and with a synthetic arm, slowly took aim with his pistol.

"Don't even think about it."

He turned his head, and saw the barrel of a weird-looking shotgun right in his face, held by a young Diclonius.

"I don't know what your problem is with her," Kanba said, "but I'll blow your head off if you so much as twitch the wrong way towards my big sister."

"Sister?" Bandō said. "They never mentioned her having a little sister."

"I'm a _boy_" Kanba snapped at him. "I'm her little brother. And she didn't know I existed until I showed up on her doorstep a few days ago, but already we'd die for each other. Now… you have two options. Option one is that you insist on trying to harm her, and I scatter your skull all over the beach. Option two is we calm down and discuss things like gentlemen. What's it gonna be?"

Seeing as he didn't really have another option, Bandō held his fire. "Alright, kid" he said. "Let's talk."

And so they did. And as they did so, Kaede & Kōta remained unaware, the muted conversation drowned out by the sound of wind and surf. They basked in each other's company, talking about little things. After about 10 minutes, they turned around, ready to head back to the house… and saw Kanba with his Scattershot held to the head of Bandō, both of them talking quietly to each other. Kaede immediately readied herself, but held back to see where this was going.

"They never told me they were doin' that kinda shit to those kids…" Bandō muttered. "That's just fuckin' sick. …And you're sure that her 'personality' that left me a cripple is gone now?"

"Yeah" Kanba replied. "We got rid of it." He chose not to tell how it had actually been Kaede, not her dark-side, who'd literally-disarmed Bandō and gouged his eyes out that night on the beach, in revenge of him hurting Kōta.

"…All right" Bandō said as he let his heavy pistol drop to the ground. "I'll leave you guys alone. In fact, I'll see if I can try and cause a little trouble for those bastards, cause a little mischief, get a few to rat their buddies out or turn themselves in or somethin'."

"I'm glad you saw reason, Mr. Bandō" Kanba said. "We'll be in touch. Now get out of here."

"Gladly."

He promptly made his exit, as Kaede & Kōta walked up.

"What was that?" Kōta asked.

Kanba grinned. "You'll find that, no matter how ornery or bullheaded someone normally is, they become eager to sit down and talk civil pretty quickly when a shotgun is being held to their head. I'll explain later. Let's go home."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day**

**10:30 AM**

The time had come. Yesterday night, the Local Group had been taken aboard the _Starshot _as it made a slipspace jump to another system and then promptly jumped right back to Sol, thereby triggering the 'soldier's knowledge' mental implantation spell for them (except Alexei and Sanae, as they both already had plenty of combat experience), while giving them time for their minds to sort the stuff out as they slept that night. Not all of them would be actively participating in the fighting, but most of them would.

Now, a veritable fleet of dropships was soaring low over the water, all heading for the island. Aboard Echo-419, Kaede Kanade checked the armor she'd been given, ensuring her helmet's HUD visor was working. She readied the Sangheili Type-51 Carbine she'd picked out, and made sure her new UNSC M90A shotgun was secured to her back. Across from her, Teana donned the helmet of her MJOLNIR Mark-7 armor, and a second later the visor polarized to hide her eyes.

"_Heads up, everyone_" Foehammer said over the dropship's speakers. "_Target in sight._"

"Alright" Teana said. "Operation White Spear is now commencing!"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Next chapter, the long-awaited battle.


	7. Assault

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Off the Coast of Kamakura, Japan**

The first inkling that Director Kakuzawa and his underlings got that something was wrong was when the data feeds monitoring Number 35's chamber abruptly cut out, being replaced by the typed message "YOU'VE BEEN HAD, SUCKER". Technicians were then able to get past this and discover that the chamber was totally empty, and false data had been fed to it for days. His attempts to contact or locate Dr. Kurama met with no replies and an empty office; the same happened for Saito, Shirakawa, and his new 'addition' Arakawa.

"Sir!" One of the base's soldiers came running into the office. "We've detected multiple aircraft approaching the facility in formation from the northeast!"

Flying low over the Pacific Ocean, 10 dropships – four UNSC Pelicans, a PLF Pelican, three PLF LAATs, and two Sangheili Phantoms – approached the island facility, which was now within visual range. A squadron of Koprulu-Terran AH/G-24 "Banshee" Tactical-Strike Aircraft flew in front, anticipating acting as anti-anti-air duty, while a flight of Sangheili Type-26 "Banshee" Ground Support Aircraft flew amongst and behind the dropship fleet as escort.

As they neared the facility, Kakuzawa's paranoid preparedness made itself known as several anti-aircraft guns emerged from hidden emplacements on the island. The Terran-Banshees immediately accelerated, locking on and firing a barrage of air-to-surface missiles. The two foremost Pelicans added their own ANVIL-II ASMs to the strike. About three-quarters of the guns were destroyed by the barrage, though one of the lead Terran-Banshees got a few holes punched in its tail, which it recovered from and kept flying.

Soldiers came pouring out from the facility, taking up positions and opening fire. One with a SAM launcher blew the wing off of a Terran-Banshee; the pilot & copilot ejected, but the latter was killed by small-arms fire while parachuting down. The Sangheili-Banshees zoomed ahead, firing plasma-cannon shots and fuel-rod blasts at the hostiles, killing the launcher-wielders and a handful of others. One got nailed by several well-placed shots, and began to plummet. As it neared the ground, the Sangheili pilot leapt out, using a facility soldier to fatally cushion his fall, and then immediately drew his plasma sword in one hand and his Needler in the other, quickly killing the rest of the terrified enemy squad he'd landed amongst.

A Phantom and two Pelicans took position first, dropping off their armed cargo in the courtyard. As they moved aside, the others moved up in sequence to disgorge their own troops. The 10 dropships then stayed on-station, lending their guns, sensors, and bird's-eye view to the cause. Gamma Team deployed from the UNSC Pelican Echo-419, Kaede F. and Teana using a DMR and Mirage Rifle single-shot, respectively, to take out several hostiles on the rooftops, including one with a sniper rifle; the man's shot went wide as he fell, missing Marie's head by three feet. Sigma Team emerged from the Phantom, along with Asa – who cast a shield spell that protected Ginga from a grenade launcher blast – and Sanae – who took the launcher-wielding man down with a DMR shot.

Kaede Kanade went to one knee and started using her Sangheili Type-51 Carbine to headshot several hostiles, and the few bullets that got past her vectors were deflected by the energy shields of the armor she was currently wearing (where once they were mostly the domain of Spartans, Protoss, and Sangheili, the coalition hoped to have energy shields for _all _combat personnel within a year; they were already becoming standard-issue for ODSTs). Upon seeing Kaede and Sanae, one enemy fireteam leader managed to inform those inside via comm. that a few Diclonii were amongst the attacking forces, which both made them more nervous and was enough for Kakuzawa to figure out why they were attacking.

"Reinforce all approaches to the test-subject holding areas" he ordered to all soldiers & guards inside the base. "Our attackers are trying to free the Diclonii."

The institute's outside defenders were being whittled down fast, and the survivors quickly retreated inside, the coalition forces in hot pursuit.

"Kanade, Shigure, you're with us!" Aqua told Kaede K. and Asa as she fired bursts of raw magic at the retreating enemy forces.

"Right!" the two chorused, Asa reloading the PLF Lancer she'd taken along.

"Kanba, go with Alexei" Kaede K. said to her little brother, gesturing to the heavily-armored Russian Diclonius who was hefting a rather large gun as he and Kurt-051 led a group of marines in a charge. The boy nodded, reading an MA5C rifle, ensuring his Scattershot was ready, and then ran off, Keyblade in one hand and assault rifle in the other (he could always use a vector to brace the gun and arm for firing one-handed).

The attack force quickly made their way into the facility, engaging the guards & soldiers within. Kurt and Gamma Team worked together as a spearhead to strike against the bulk of the defenders, while Sigma Team and their two guest members slipped around and made their way in deeper, dealing with guards & soldiers as they went. Kaede K., recognizing the path she'd taken during her escape from the facility, directed the group as they moved onward. Ahead, a guard saw her leading the group, recognized what she was, and only had time to think 'Why is a Diclonius using a gun?' before a bolt from her Carbine went through his skull. She rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a pair of enemy soldiers, and immediately decapitated one with a vector while pulling her shotgun free and blasting the other one in the chest, putting him down.

Two enemy soldiers died quickly but gruesomely in two successive pink explosions, casualties of the Needler presently wielded by Erika. A high-velocity pink needle-spear punched through the cranium of another, fired by the Needle Rifle that Mariko had. Timmy fired a plasma pistol with respectable accuracy, Erio & Caro fired bolts of raw offensive magic, and Laicixa fired Fira and Blizzara spells from Midnight Roar. Two enemy guards tried to sneak around behind the group of well-armed kids, only to run into their rear guard: Nana, who promptly hosed them down with a Sangheili Type-51 Plasma Repeater. The last of the current enemy squad fell to a bolt between the eyes from Caro, and the group pressed on, Mariko leading the way to the nearest containment area.

Several soldiers fell as they tried to get into cover, away from the hail of death being sent their way. Alexei stood tall, body shimmering with an energy shield, and using his muscular arms and his vectors to hold a UNSC AIE-486H Heavy Machinegun, the ammo feed connected to a backpack full of ammunition (he also had a BR55 rifle slung over his back just in case). The evil men before him were armed with comparatively light weapons and armor, and had failed to even come close to harming him, as his weapon continued to cut them down or send them scurrying.

"Is like fighting children!" Alexei exclaimed/taunted. "What sick man sent _babies _to fight me?-!"

"This guy's a fucking beast!" one scared private said, shortly before a round punched through his upper chest.

"You are all so small! Is funny to me!"

A soldier tried to sneak up on Alexei from behind, only to suddenly hear a bang and feel a terrible pain. He looked down and saw a hole blasted through his chest, his body rapidly dissolving outward from the hole into glowing orange particles. As the body faded away, Kanba inserted another round into his Scattershot.

Scores of hostiles fell before the combined onslaught of Kurt and Gamma Team. A well-aimed plasma grenade thrown by the Spartan took out three soldiers (one of them with a rocket launcher), Marie fired a charged Dark Beam shot from Charon that killed a hostile with a shotgun, and one hostile narrowly dodged a DMR shot from Kaede F. only to take a bone-bullet through the eye from her. Sarah and Mai fired short bursts from their assault rifles – a Lancer and an MA5C, respectively – to score kills and keep the enemies' heads down, while Shion and Ahsoka used their energy blades to kill any enemy close enough. Teana had Cross Mirage in dual pistol mode, firing .50-caliber SAP-HE rounds with her two guns with perfect accuracy.

With one punch with Revolver Knuckle, Subaru smashed a metal door off of its hinges. The guards inside immediately opened fire, but her energy shields protected her long enough for her to get out of the way. As soon as the fire abated, Mana K. rushed in, a PLF-made DC-15 blaster rifle in her hands, and opened fire, taking down half of the guards before being forced into cover. Lancer fire from Asa finished most of the remainder off, and the last two fell to Kaede K.'s carbine. As the armored Diclonius stepped into the room, she looked left in time to catch sight of the scientist pressing himself against the far wall, and recognized him.

"You…" she growled, starting to advance on him.

Takura Isobe, the sadistic head of "research" at the facility, so dedicated to performing one horrifying experiment after another on captive Diclonii, reveling in their suffering all the while as he categorized them in his head as less-than-human animals. He had personally overseen several 'experiments' on Kaede herself over the last three years. Oh, how the tables had turned…

"It can't be…" he muttered. "Lucy…"

The girl's response was to bitch-slap him with one of her vectors, knocking him to the ground.

"Do _not_" she snarled "call me by _that name_… I am Kanade Kaede, daughter of Kanade Ichirō and Kanade Sakuya. And I am here to free my people, and get my revenge."

She then proceeded to use her carbine to blow out his kneecaps, and he cried out in pain, unable to get up. Then she reached out with a vector and snapped the arm that he'd been propping himself up with, leaving him lying on the floor on his back. She placed a foot down onto his chest, and aimed her carbine between his eyes.

"You'll never harm another sapient being again" she said. A flash of green from the muzzle in his face was the last thing he saw as she pulled the trigger.

As Kaede finished off Isobe, Ginga walked over to the room's central console. She let Blitz Caliber interface with it, and after a few seconds the console beeped, and a door in the back of the room slid open, revealing an elevator.

"According to the schematics Blitz has pulled," she said to the others, "this leads to one of the holding areas, as well as a "vector strength test chamber". From there, we can take a route that leads directly to the Director's office. …Shall we?"

"Yes" Aqua replied. "We shall. Come on, girls."

The kids' team continued their advance, Laicixa having already assumed – and been granted by the others – semi-official command of the group. They were making excellent time (despite having to stop for two minutes at one point when Erika needed a change), and had already disposed of their fair share of hostiles. One soldier with a shotgun charged at them, only to be hit by a double Blizzard spell from Laicixa & Erika's Keyblades, freezing him solid; a frag grenade from Tim then shattered him. Mariko continued to display her skill with a needle rifle; few hostiles had even gotten the chance to get within her vectors' range before being killed by her longer-range weapon. Erio & Caro focused primarily on demolishing the auto-turrets that the team had encountered here & there, turning their attention to live targets when the auto-defenses in each area were down.

Three more hostiles fell to Kanba's Scattershot as he continued his room-to-room sweep. A guard tried to sneak up on him from behind with a knife, only for the man's head to go flying as Kanba used a vector to kill him without even turning around. Out in the hallway, two enemy soldiers went down to shots from Alexei's BR55 rifle, and he then picked his HMG back up and continued on, Kanba coming out and covering him, MA5C readied.

"_This is Sigma-1 to all personnel_" Aqua said over the force-wide comm. "_We have located and secured a holding area; captive Diclonii have been reassured and are awaiting treatment. I'm setting a NAV beacon at this location, and we will proceed deeper into the facility._"

"_Solid copy, Sigma-1_" Col. Holland replied. "_Diverting two trooper squads with medics to the beacon. Good hunting._"

In the area in question, around 22 Diclonii of various physical ages sat, their modesty covered by sheets or robes that Aqua & Ginga had brought along in magical subspace pockets. Kaede K. was holding one who couldn't have been more than five years old; the little girl was latched onto her with all her might, sobbing into her shoulder and muttering "Thank you" over and over. With a little difficulty, she managed to convince the traumatized child that help was coming and that she needed to go do important stuff, and then rejoined Sigma Team and Asa as they advanced.

In another part of the facility, Erio gently draped a blanket over the shoulders of the Silpelit known by the institute's personnel as "Number 28", a quiet girl around Nana's age. Without saying a word, she promptly pulled Erio into a rather tight hug, which he returned (blushing a little as he felt her rather well-developed bare breasts pressing against the thin undershirt of his Barrier Jacket) as she cried softly, stored-up emotions coming out as relief and hope filled her. Nearby, Mariko fussed over a pair of physically-4-year-old Diclonii, who were holding each other in a tight embrace like life depended on it, two friends being able to touch each other for the first time. As #28 reluctantly released Erio, Mariko turned to her.

"Can you watch over these two?" she asked.

"Yes" the quiet girl nodded, as she made her way on unsteady legs over to the little ones, kneeling down and holding them close as they continued to hold and comfort each other. Timmy set up a NAV beacon with the seven Diclonii here, and he & the other five of 'Team Kid' then moved out.

It was like this all over the facility: coalition forces would steamroll through the institute's armed personnel, taking few losses, and encountering & freeing captive Diclonii here & there, setting NAV beacons for specialized teams to tend to and – if practical – extract them. The enemy couldn't stand up to the superior numbers and weaponry of the coalition forces, and were quickly ground down. It wasn't long before the good guys had full control of the ground-floor level and were moving through the subterranean levels.

Director Kakuzawa sat in his office, along with 15 of his best troops serving as guards. By all reports, the battle was going poorly. The attackers had superior numbers and technology, had a few combat-trained Diclonii (including Lucy, Number 35, a frighteningly skilled sniper, and a mountain of a man armed with a heavy machinegun as a personnel weapon), and – video footage confirmed – they even had what looked like actual _aliens_.

There was suddenly gunfire and small explosions outside the heavy steel door of the office. The soldiers inside got ready, as the fighting continued outside. Finally, all went quiet. After several seconds, those inside heard a muffled "Fire in the hole!" from outside, followed by a blast and a cloud of dust and fire as the door was blasted down. Immediately the guard-soldiers opened fire, shooting through the now-open entryway. Their shots bounced off of a translucent green barrier-shield that slowly advanced, Asa's right palm pointed out while Kaede K. and Sigma Team walked beside her. Soon, the guards' clips ran empty, and that's when Sigma Team struck. The barrier-shield went down, and Kaede K. rushed in, her M90A shotgun booming and her vectors slicing. Mana and Subaru were close behind, the two cyborgs lashing out with super-strength blows, while Asa and Ginga stood back and used their Lancers to thin the enemy's numbers even further.

Finally, the last guard-soldier fell. Kaede K. immediately used her vectors to throw the Director's desk to the side, exposing him, and then pinned him to the wall. She slowly advanced on him with cold fury in her eyes, as he struggled in vain to break free of the super-strong telekinetic appendages.

"Kakuzawa…" she snarled.

"Kanade…" he struggled out, trying to break free. At her slight surprise, he smirked. "I was listening in when you executed Isobe. To be truthful, I'd almost forgotten that 'Lucy' was a title we'd given you and not your real name."

"It's _over_, old man. Your soldiers are being butchered, your scientists are either dead or captured, and the people you've been torturing are safe and free. Now, before I kill you, I have to ask… Why? Why do this – _all _of this – to us? Why the torture, the pain, the terror, the suffering? And why was I so important alive?"

He glowered at her for a few seconds, and then began whipping his head back & forth… dislodging the toupee he'd been wearing, and thus revealing a pair of conical horns covered by a thin layer of flesh.

"Ages ago," he said, "the Kakuzawa family was powerful and feared. We were descendents of the First Diclonius. However, centuries of inbreeding with humans diluted our bloodline, rendering out horns small and our vectors nonexistent. The hornless people rose up and chased us away. My ancestors found this sacred island, where we waited for the prophesized coming of a messiah, a female purebred Diclonius who would return our clan to glory. _You _were the prophesized one, the fertile Queen with whom my son and I could sire the future Diclonius race, overthrow the base humans, and become gods of this world!"

Kaede's face was a mixture of disgust, anger, and ridicule. "You poor idiot…" she said. "Do you really believe all that? That you're a Diclonius?"

She gripped his throat with a vector-hand, not hard enough to stop his breathing but enough to stop his speaking.

"I have learned much about my people this last week" she said. "Firstly, we _are _human – _Homo sapiens diclonius_, a subspecies of humanity, confirmed via genetic analysis. Second, there are over 50 million of us on this Earth, living in hiding but in peace; if we wanted to, we could conquer the world, but we do not want to, instead choosing to live in peace and secret harmony with those around us. Third, if a Diclonius and a human have a child, that child will, genetically, be entirely Diclonius. Even if they were to start a chain of descendants with humans, each born would be whole Diclonius, with all capabilities; the bloodline would not 'dilute'. I myself am the daughter of a Diclonius father and a baseline-human mother. Fourth, all Diclonii can telepathically sense each other to varying degrees."

She got in his face.

"And I do not sense you, nor did I sense your son. You are _not _a Diclonius. No-one in the Kakuzawa line is or ever was one. You're just base, regular humans with a freaky skull defect. Nothing more. Your clan must've come up with that ridiculous myth in response to the persecution you faced because of your mutative defect. I killed your son partially because I was disgusted by what he had planned, and partially because he actually _believed _that sad, ridiculous bullshit he was spitting out, and so putting him down was a favor to him.

"…On some level, I pity you and your family. You were tormented by other people for being 'different', just for having those growths. But you are not one of me. You are not Diclonius, and never will be. And even if you were, I would _never _allow _you _to have me. There is already another I love, a human boy to whom I have given my heart, and to whom I plan to give my body soon. He is pure, and kind, and gentle, and just. You, however, are a cruel, vicious, heartless monster of a man, an angry mutant with delusions of godhood. Thousands of lives have suffered at your hands, and I intend to ensure that their souls are given retribution!"

The old man felt his whole world crashing down from all that Kaede had told him, and then he felt a coldness as all four of her vectors inserted into a single point in the center of his torso. Then, they switched to 'cutting' mode and all slashed outward at the same time – one straight up, one straight down, one to the left, and one to the right. Director Kakuzawa fell to the ground in four pieces, innards spilling out, a look of horror frozen on both of the separated halves of his head.

"All teams, this is Sigma-1" Aqua reported. "Objective 2 accomplished: Director Kakuzawa is dead."

"_Roger that, Sigma-1_" Teana replied over the comm. "_Sierra-51 and Gamma Team are helping mop up the rest of the resistance. Already a significant portion of the survivors are surrendering._"

Kaede K. was now seated at Kakuzawa's computer, which was stationed on another table against the wall. The console's security was pathetic, protected only by a simple password ("LUCY", of course); the old man had never expected anyone other than himself to use it. As she perused over the records and schematics, she came across something that caught her by surprise. She read it intently, shocked and sickened by one more act of barbarity she'd been unaware of, this one done to a human. After reading everything she needed to on this subject, she got up and looked to the others.

"Have this computer's data uploaded to Command" she said. "I need to head down to the lowest level of this facility. There's something I need to deal with."

**-65 MINUTES LATER-**

The battle was over. Most of the institute's soldiers & guards, and a good chunk of the scientists, were dead, and the rest had either been captured & detained or had surrendered willingly. The facility's comprehensive records were being compiled and gone over as evidence. All in all, 126 captive Diclonii had been found alive and brought to the facility's ground-level exterior courtyard (where several tents had been set up as a makeshift field hospital), and were presently being overviewed, treated for injuries, being given basic psychological help (more dedicated counseling and treatment would have to come after post-battle cleanup was done), and given food & water (in small amounts, with specialized diets and medications, to avoid Refeeding Syndrome). 18 Diclonii's vectors had been disabled temporarily by Nana, Sanae, or Alexei after they were deemed to be potential risks to themselves or others (thankfully nobody was killed discovering this), though the trio in question felt that none of them were beyond recovery, and thus that the disabling would likely not be permanent in any of them.

The more mentally-together ex-captives were providing some testimonies and information; some of the healthiest were also assisting the coalition personnel in caring for their less-able brethren. Number 28, in particular, had taken or been given (depending on how you look at it) the position of babysitter/child-wrangler for the younger Diclonii, displaying a quiet, gentle, motherly kindness that drew the children to her and provided a sense of comfort and security for them, and they in turn did what they could – intentionally and not – to help keep her together and provide comfort and reassurance to her. Erika, Mai, and Subaru were assisting her in her role; presently, Erika was bottle-feeding a little one who looked no older than two, Mai was letting a physically-six-year-old one huddle up to her, and a physically-seven-year-old was giggling wildly as Subaru tickle-attacked her.

A Phantom flew in, hovering over a landing pad. From the gravity lift descended Kōta, Yuka, Mayu, Nozomi, Nyū, and a single Sangheili in white Ultra armor. Zhal Arum looked around at the courtyard filled with injured soldiers and the recently-freed Diclonii, and walked off to find the squad leaders to get their reports in person, being saluted as he went. The Maple Group quickly made their way to Nana and Kanba.

"Where's Kaede?" Kōta asked.

"In there" Kanba replied, pointing to a smaller tent nearby.

The group headed over, Nana joining them. As they approached, they could hear talking inside.

"I know that my father was an evil man" a little girl's voice said. "And I know that the things he did to your people, and to me, are unforgivable. But, still… I can't help but be sad that he's gone, even though I know I shouldn't be."

"I'm sorry" Kaede K. replied. "But it had to be done. Otherwise, he'd have found a way to make more people suffer."

"I know. I don't blame you for it, and I don't hate you for it. Father brought it on himself. …And… thank you for sparing me, even though I'm the daughter of the man who…"

"It's okay. When I went down to that underground lake and saw the… thing… he had turned you into, I could sense that it wasn't your real form, that it was a shell that had grown around you, even though you yourself thought the shell was your real self. I'm just glad I was able to free you, and get you out of there."

"…I have seen the Sun for the first time in years… I have set foot upon the ground once more... I can eat again, sleep again, be a normal person again. Thank you so, so much for that, Kaede-san."

"Kaede?" Kōta called out.

"Kōta! Come in!"

The Maple Group entered the tent, and saw Kaede apparently tending to a little girl clad in a cheap robe, looking around 8 or 9 years old, with upper-back-length black hair. The girl hid partially behind Kaede.

"Everyone," Kaede said, "this is Anna. She was the subject of an experiment performed by Director Kakuzawa… who was also her father."

Outside, Natsuko Arakawa walked through the field hospital. She soon came across Kanba, having a seat next to him. He turned to look at her and smiled innocently, and she couldn't understand why her face suddenly felt a little hot.

'Oh man, I'm attracted to a 12-year-old?' she thought. 'Wow, I must be desperate. …Though he is pretty mature, and he's really kind and thoughtful and…'

"So it's finally over…" she voiced aloud, trying to avert her gaze from his.

"Yeah…" Kanba replied. "These people will be able to get the help they need, and the people who hurt them will never be able to hurt anyone again." He gave a content sigh. "The wonderful feeling of a mission accomplished, a job well done…"

"Almost as good as the feeling of a hot shower…" she replied.

He giggled. "I remember when you took that long shower back at Maple House after we rescued you guys. I was getting something from just outside the bathroom and I heard you make some… interesting noises…"

Natsuko blushed; shamefully, the feeling of a simple hot shower after so long had been enough to earn a few pleasured moans that day, moans that could easily be construed as being because of… something else…

Kanba scooted over to allow a Huragok to place a box of supplies where he'd been sitting, ending up pressed against Arakawa, who was now sandwiched between a stack of cushions and a disturbingly cute, somewhat-girlish boy. Kanba yawned cutely and stretched, his joints popping.

"I haven't been this tired in a long time" he said. "But it's a good kind of tired."

Without saying anything, Natsuko made up her mind and put her arm around him, right hand on his upper arm and pulling him close so his head could rest on her shoulder. He blushed lightly as he looked up at her, but then accepted it and allowed himself to rest, his eyes going almost closed. She couldn't help but smile.

In the little tent, as Yuka and Nyū fussed over Anna, Nozomi had a seat next to Kaede K., smiling at her; Kaede returned the smile, feeling her face heat up just a bit. It was really no secret to either of them anymore that they found each other attractive, and Nozomi had subconsciously hinted that she would like to get to know Kaede on a deeper level. Kaede was thus dropping hints to Kōta to see if he would mind sharing her with someone else, at the very least as a 'friends with benefits' thing. He probably wouldn't mind.

"S-So what happens now?" Nozomi asked.

"I hear they're going to set a trap here" Kaede replied. "They'll send out a command to all of the institute's agents stationed throughout the prefecture, ordering them to return. Then, when they show up, they get jumped by our forces and arrested. Also, our people are going to comb over the records on each and every Diclonius here, living or dead. Maybe we can find the parents that a lot of these girls were snatched away from."

"One can hope."

"So you're sure that you want me to stay at you guys' place for a while?" Anna asked Yuka. "I mean, after all that…"

"We won't blame a child for the sins of her father" Kōta replied. "You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want. Besides, it seems Kaede's taken a bit of a shine to you."

The girl closed her eyes and smiled. "I owe her my life…" she said softly.

It was a few more hours on-site before the Maple Group caught a Pelican back to their house, each and every one of them feeling content and victorious. That night, Kaede K. slept soundly, Nyū cuddled up to her.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Rest assured, there is more coming; there are a few loose ends that next chapter will tackle.


	8. Loose Ends Part 1

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Maple House**

**The Morning After The Assault On Kakuzawa's Base**

"N-Not that I don't appreciate it, Kanade-san, but why are you doing this for me?"

Kaede K. smiled softly as she held the detachable showerhead over Anna's upper back. "When I was seven years old," she replied, "there was this temporary staff member at the orphanage I grew up at; she was only there for about two weeks. She was the only staff who ever treated me with love and care. I had been bathing myself for a while due to what the other staff-members were like, but one night she pulled me aside and bathed me. It was one of the most relaxing and comforting experiences I've ever had, and it was the first time I felt cared for and safe. I just figured you deserve a little of that after what you went through."

"Thank you…" the eight-year-old replied. "…This _is _rather relaxing…"

'I feel like a mom…' Kaede thought. 'In a good way.'

In another room, Nozomi and Saito were changing Erika and Mariko, respectively.

"Everything feels calmer now" Saito said. "Like the storm has passed."

"Y-Yeah" Erika replied, as Nozomi gently worked on her. "We s-saved all those people, a-and the man who hurt them is dead."

"I like that 'needle rifle' thing" Mariko said as her hips were lifted a little. "And I was really good with it. I think I'll use it from now on in terms of ranged weapons."

"F-From what I heard," Nozomi said, "you kids worked really well as a team."

"L-Laicixa's a pretty good leader" Erika said with a smile. The slight tickle of powder's application earned a tiny giggle out of her.

"I heard that earlier this morning," Saito said, "the trap worked. They caught about eight of the institute's long-range operatives after luring them back to the facility. And the ex-agent, Bandō, recently rounded up about three more and dropped them off with a coalition operative out in the field."

"That's good" Mariko said as her diaper was taped up. "Let's just hope the strategy keeps work-EEEE!" her squeal dissolved into giggles as Saito unexpectedly tickled her tummy.

"Okay, you two" Nozomi said. "We're done. You can go find your friends again."

As Mariko's giggles subsided, she and Erika looked down. "W-Without anything… c-covering them?" Erika asked with a blush.

"Everyone in this house already knows" Saito replied. "It'll be fine."

The two girls got up and headed out, Erika letting out a little squeak as Saito gave her a pat on the padded bottom. Then it was Nozomi's turn as Saito reached under her skirt and checked her. The young woman then gave the girl a motherly smile.

"Your turn, dear. Take off your skirt and lie down."

Out in the living room, Teana sat on the couch, facing a holo-screen that showed Colonel Holland.

"_His name is Samuel Whitford_" the Colonel said. "_He's a Captain in the US Navy. And he's also a Diclonius. His ship will be arriving at the island that we've claimed as a base in about two days. He has another Diclonius on his ship's crew – a woman named Christie Bellflower who serves as a Marine Corps Sergeant. Apparently they're both well-respected by the people under their respective commands._"

"Good" Teana replied. "It's about time we find Diclonii who are actually getting respect and have fulfilling lives _before _we come along to make their lives better."

In another room, a different holo-conversation was taking place. Ahsoka and Subaru were presently talking with (girl) Fate and Negi.

"_So anyway,_" Fate said, her hands resting on the boy's shoulders from behind, "_this is what we wanted to show you. Negi?_"

"_After I gave my father's staff back to him,_" the boy said, "_I had to rely on the ring Evangeline gave me as a magical focus. I am quite capable of fighting without a dedicated focus, but the TSAB still decided to give me what they feel every good mage should have._"

He then held up a small, curved object with a rounded tip in his hand, attached to a chain necklace. Fate took a few steps back, as Negi focused his magical power on what he held.

"_Vesperina, set up!_" he said.

"_Yes, sir_" the Device replied with a soft yet confident female voice.

A flash of white magic enveloped Negi. When it faded, he was wearing a dark-green longcoat, open to reveal a tight navy-blue shirt and black shorts. In his hand was a halberd about an inch shorter than he was tall, with an off-white staff/hilt and a curved, white blade with a green gem in its base.

"_Ta-da!_" he said. "_This is my new Barrier Jacket! And this_" he gestured to the weapon "_is my new Intelligent Device, Vesperina._"

"Lookin' good, kid!" Subaru gave a thumbs-up.

"Very handsome" Ahsoka remarked with a smile.

"_Fate-san here is already teaching me some of her Midchildan-style spells, in return for me teaching her some high-end Vetus magic. I_-"

"_Negi~_" a girl's voice was heard off-camera.

"_Oh, that's Makie. I almost forgot I was gonna… spend time… with her and Ayaka this afternoon. Gotta go, girls; see you soon._"

The communication cut off.

"Hmm…" Subaru said. "I think I'll go 'spend time' with Tia right now. See ya, 'soka."

"R-Right" the Togrutan teen replied. "I'll just, uh… be in my quarters up on the _Starshot_ if you need me. …Hmm, maybe I'll call Haruna, have her come over via the gateport so she and I can 'spend some time' together, too."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Same Day**

**Shortly After Lunch**

"It'll be okay, Mayu" Kaede K. said softly to the young black-haired girl. "I promise. Now why don't you go find Nana and keep her company?"

"A-Alright" the girl replied, her eyes still a little red. She still hugged the older girl for a little longer before letting go. As the two got up and opened the door, they came across Mariko walking a little oddly down the hall. She startled and spun to face them.

"Oh, hey girls" she said. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Mayu and I were discussing something important" Kaede replied. "You look a bit out of it. Wanna have a seat with Mayu and I can go get you a snack?"

"Um…" the little Diclonius blushed lightly and averted her eyes, hands moving behind her body. "I… r-really don't wanna sit down right now. Have… you seen Saito? Or Sarah? Or Nozomi?"

"Saito-san is in one of the rooms toward the back" Mayu replied. "You were heading in the right direction."

"Okay. Thanks."

As she walked away, still walking a little funny, the two caught sight of her padded back end and figured why.

"…Why didn't I smell anything?" Mayu said.

"The coalition" Kaede replied "can travel across dimensions, bend the elements to their will, kill actual honest-to-goodness demons, distort the passage of time, create pocket universes, sequence a person's entire genome in less than a day, create fully-sapient AIs, manipulate the force of gravity, and magically sustain an entire planet. …Creating diapers that are enchanted to stop all smell from escaping them is child's play for them, I'd guess."

She sighed.

"Anyway, Mayu, go find Nana. She's probably looking for you."

"Okay"

As the girl headed off toward the backyard, Kaede K. turned around, her face serious, as she headed for the living room. There, she found Kōta, Yuka, Shion, and Ginga.

"Guys," she said in a low, serious tone. "There's something that needs to be discussed. Gather the others."

Soon, the room contained the Maple Group, along with Gamma & Sigma Teams, Asa, Laicixa, and Kanba. The other kids were out back with Mayu & Nana.

"What's this about, Kanade-san?" Teana asked.

The Diclonius sighed sadly, eyes closed as she figured out how to break this to them. "I was talking with Mayu earlier. She… confessed things to me."

"What sort of things?" Yuka asked.

Kaede K. looked solemn. "The reason that Mayu ran away from her home and ended up here… is because her stepfather sexually abused her."

The reactions were predictable: shock, horror, disgust, anger. Kōta's fists clenched at the confirmation of a suspicion he'd naively tried to convince himself was unfounded. Yuka & Nozomi looked horrified, and Teana's face could've been carved from stone.

"Apparently," she continued, "her mother divorced her previous husband – Mayu's father – for financial reasons, and married this new one. However, he only married her to get to Mayu, it seems like. He molested her for weeks on end, making her do demeaning and painful things, even stole her purity. Shortly before she ran away, she came to her mother, and confessed what the stepfather had been doing to her."

Kaede's expression soured, anger entering her eyes. "Her mother struck her. She then revealed to Mayu that she was hatefully _jealous _of her. She… That woman viewed her own rape-victim daughter as a sexual competitor, accused her of trying to steal her precious new husband. That's when Mayu lost hope and ran away."

The looks of shocked outrage said all.

"I'll head up to the ship and bring this to the attention of Colonel Holland and Shipmaster Arum," Teana said, her _Sharingan _having instinctively activated in response to her building anger, "see if we can get our ONI agents to track these two down and maybe get some evidence."

"I'll accompany you" Ahsoka said. "I'm expecting someone soon anyway."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Aboard the **_**Starshot**_

**20 Minutes Later**

Teana and Ahsoka walked into the room containing the Protoss/Forerunner hybrid-tech portal generator that linked to RF6 HQ back at Midchilda and to Mahora Academy. Holland and Arum were on their way down to meet up with them there (it was halfway between the planet-range personnel teleporter chamber and the bridge). As Gamma-1 and -6 waited, the generator came to life.

"That's probably her" Ahsoka said, as she and Teana got up and walked over to the machine. From the whirling slipspace portal stepped a person, but not the one Ahsoka had been waiting for.

"You're not Haruna" she said confusedly.

"What brings you here, ma'am?" Teana asked.

Dr. Halsey smoothed a wrinkle out of her coat. "Just checking to make sure the link between the _Infinity _and the _Starshot _would work. …I'd say that, obviously, it does. I've read the report on your recent activities here. A new subspecies of human… And the utterly horrifying things that intolerant people did to them, calling it 'science' in an attempt to justify their base cruelty. So sickening…"

"Alright, Gamma-1" Col. Holland said as he strode into the room, Shipmaster Arum close behind. "What's this about?"

"We've discovered a complication regarding the past of one of the Maple House residents, sir – the girl Mayu. It appears she was sexually abused by her stepfather, and when she told her mother the woman violently rejected her, accusing the girl of 'stealing her new husband'. I was hoping we could use some of our field operatives to track these people down and incriminate them somehow, as well as set up official counseling for Mayu."

"Dear Lord…" Halsey whispered. "Poor child…"

"We'll do whatever we can" Holland said, his expression grim. "We'll do everything in our power to ensure these two are brought to justice."

"I will contact the necessary personnel" Zhal said. "In the meantime, be there for her as you have been doing."

"Of course, sir" Teana replied. "I've got to head back down to the others now."

"Jerrod and I will assist the _Starshot_'s personnel in going over the data confiscated from the institute" Halsey said.

"Of course, madam" said the AI chip presently in Halsey's breast pocket.

"I'm gonna wait here" Ahsoka said. "I have someone coming over soon."

As the others left, Ahsoka paced back & forth in the portal room. A few minutes in, it came to life again, and Haruna Saotome stepped through.

"Hey, 'soka" she said with a grin. "You called?"

"Yeah. Um… I…" she sighed and blushed. "Okay, I'll admit it: I was feeling lonely for some… company."

"And you can't feel company with your squad because…"

"I… w-want some… 'company'" she made air-quotes. "I was wondering if…"

"Say no more" Haruna said with her usual Cheshire-cat grin. "I've got about six hours to spare". She walked up close to the girl, arms going around the alien teen's waist and pulling her close. "Let's head to your quarters" she said huskily as she brought a hand up to softly stroke the base of Ahsoka's rear head-tail, causing the girl to gasp and quiver.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Maple House**

**That Evening**

Nozomi wandered through the house, fresh diaper rustling as she walked (like Erika and Mariko, she had gotten comfortable enough with everyone else to go skirtless), trying to find Yuka. The young woman had been missing for a couple hours now, as had Arakawa-san. Nana had vanished around half an hour ago, too. Where could they be?

Suddenly, as she walked by one of the older, lesser-used rooms in the back of the spacious house, she heard giggling and muffled squeals. Curious, she opened the door. Inside were Nana, Yuka, Arakawa, and a fourth person. This new individual looked to be a Diclonius, a girl a little younger than Nana, wearing a white blouse with pink lace, and a pale-pink miniskirt. Her hot-pink hair was in pigtails held by pink ribbons, and a flower barrette kept her bangs out of her eyes. There looked to be a slight hint of lipstick and blush on her face, though her actual blush was quite apparent as well.

"Oh dear" Nozomi said. "Who is she? A rescue from the institute?"

The 'girl' in question looked at Nozomi imploringly with teary eyes. "Nozomiiii~" Kanba whined/cried plaintively. "Help meeee~!"

Nozomi couldn't help but gasp, feeling her heart rate go up and her face heat up. "K-K-Kanba-kun?" she squeaked.

"Isn't he adorable~?" Nana squeed.

"This is the most fun I've had in ages!" Natsuko said with a gleeful smile. "He's so cute and feminine-looking; girls' clothes just _work _for him! He makes such an adorable little girl!"

"We've got lots of pictures of all the outfits we've had him in" Yuka said happily. "Wanna see?"

"Nozomi~" Kanba whimpered.

"U-Um…" Nozomi stammered. "I… I, uh, n-need to g-go get changed" she lied, trying to fight back a nosebleed. "E-Excuse me, please!"

With that, she near-slammed the door closed and ran off. Kanba's outstretched hand reached out for where she'd been, to no avail.

"Come on, Kanba-_chan_~" Nana sing-songed. "We've only got three more outfits to try out on you."

The girlish boy gave a sigh of relief at hearing this, but his relief vanished when he turned around and saw Natsuko holding up the poofiest, girliest dress ever made. He bit back a whimper.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Bathing Room**

**50 Minutes Later**

Kanba's eyes were closed as Yuka used a washcloth to gently clean the light makeup off of his face, while Natsuko held a showerhead to his upper back. The two girls were wrapped in towels, while he had one around his waist for modesty as he sat on a bathing chair.

"We're so sorry, Kanba" Yuka said remorsefully. "We got too carried away."

"We shouldn't have done all that to you" Arakawa said.

"It's… It's okay" he replied, opening his eyes as Yuka finished washing his face. "I'm not mad at you girls. …Well, not anymore, not since I saw your faces when you realized you'd gone too far. And…" he blushed "the dresses and skirts were a bit much, and so was the makeup, but… a couple of the shirts and blouses were actually pretty comfortable, and I… t-think I like the hairclip. And…" he sighed "I guess if you ever wanna dress me up again, it… it'd be okay, so long as it's in private."

The two promptly hugged him tightly from in front and behind, either not noticing or not caring that their towels had slipped and that Kanba's head was now sandwiched between two pairs of bountiful bare breasts. He blushed deeply as his face was caught firmly between Yuka's good-sized, firm breasts, and he could feel Natsuko's bigger, softer ones cradling the back of his head. They held him like that for a minute or so, Arakawa gently tracing a few fingers along his chest and tummy while Yuka ran one of her soft hands along his sides and back while the other fiddled with one of his horns.

The two young women's eyes met halfway through this, an unspoken conversation/agreement taking place: 'Share him?' 'Share him!'

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day**

**Local Park**

Kaede K., Nyū, Kōta, Yuka, and Nozomi relaxed in the rather spacious town park, along with Sarah, Asa, and Kaede F. (with Sarah and Yuka doing what they could to keep Kaede F. and Asa apart). There weren't many people there besides them, so it was almost like they had the place to themselves. The two Diclonii still wore hats to hide their horns, though. All in all, it was a relaxing day.

"Nozomi?"

The sudden saying of her name made the shy girl turn around. Her eyes widened with fear as she saw who it was.

"Where have you been?" the man said with stern anger.

"F… Father…" She squeaked, trembling.

Upon hearing Nozomi say this one word, the others immediately rushed to her side, the Maple House group forming a wall between her and her now-surprised father while Sarah, Asa, and Kaede F. stood around and behind him. They all glared at him; Kōta, Yuka, and Kaede F. had a hand each on their holstered M6Cs, while Kaede K. clandestinely reached a vector into her nearby bag that she'd brought the group's lunch in, gripping the hilt of her M90A shotgun within. Asa gathered her magical energy within herself, while Sarah did the same with her chakra, her fists clenching as they channeled it.

"What is the meaning of this?" the man demanded.

"We are fully aware of how much you have hurt and abused Nozomi in the past," Kōta said, "before she came to us. We _will not _let you hurt her again. If you try, we'll hurt _you_."

"Abuse?" the man replied indignantly. "How dare you say such a thing? I merely sought to keep her on a right, safe path."

"By beating her backside until it was black & blue?" Kaede K. retorted angrily, her voice rising. "By leaving her terrified of damn near everyone around her? By abusing her so much that she was scared to defend herself against anything, was left incontinent, and was left with no self-esteem whatsoever?-!"

The man looked shock as he heard this. However, Kaede K. pressed her attack.

"When I was 10 years old," she said, "a bunch of bullies at the orphanage I grew up in found a stray puppy I'd been caring for and beat it to death in front of me. In response, I lost myself to rage and murdered them all. …If I slaughtered a bunch of sadistic brats for killing a dog…" in a flash of movement, her M90A was pulled from her bag by her vector, and deposited in her hands "what do you think I'll do to the man who tortured and irreparably psychologically damaged one of my closest friends?"

The man took a step back as the young woman was suddenly brandishing a large shotgun. At the same time, the revelation that his daughter had been damaged so severely came as an unpleasant shock. Throughout it all, Nozomi remained silent, her expression unreadable.

"I…" Mr. Kaushimu stammered. "I… If… If she sang, it would aggravate…"

"The throat defect that we've fixed?" Sarah interrupted. The man looked deeply shocked.

"Wait, what?" Nozomi spoke up. "T-Throat defect?"

"When we got you all checked out," Kaede F. said to Nozomi, "the med-scan of your neck detected a defect in your throat that could've caused trouble in the long run. When they drew your blood for analysis, they also implanted PLF nanites that spent a week carefully repairing the flaw. You won't have to worry anymore about permanently losing your voice if you use it too much."

"I… I could've… _What_?" the thought of being unable to sing scared Nozomi, and the fact that she now knew the defect had been corrected was all that kept her from panicking at the imagined possibility.

"Wait…" she said. "Shortly before mom k-killed herself, she seemed to have… trouble… talking… …Oh God… Oh, s-she…"

As Nozomi put two and two together (to her horrified realization), Yuka laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Kōta looked Mr. Kaushimu in the eye, looking angry as ever.

"So instead of simply _warning _her about the risk involved in pursuing a career in music," he said, "you opted instead to psychologically _break _her and force her to give up the one thing she loved… without even telling her _why_?"

"I…"

"And you never stopped to think of what the potential long-term consequences of such a course of actions would cause?" Asa remarked angrily, a barely-visible aura of magic wavering around her body.

"Y-You…" Nozomi whispered. "Why…? Y-You lied to me… You t-told me that you had no idea w-why mom… Y-You could've just _told _me, but instead you beat me, abused me, _broke _me!" Her voice rose to an angry near-screech. "I'll never be able to sing in front of more than a handful of people without feeling paralyzed with fear! I'll probably have to wear diapers for the rest of my life! All because _you _couldn't bring yourself to tell me the fucking _truth_?-!"

The man stepped back, startled by his daughter's sudden enraged outburst. He attempted to rally, however. "Y-You wouldn't have been able to handle it!" he said. "Look how you're acting now! I did it because I know what's best for you!"

"What's _best _for me?-! How _dare _you imply that what you did to me was 'best' for me?-!"

"I _always _know what's best for you!" he shouted. "I'm your _father_!"

Nozomi went deathly quiet. Then, she slowly reached into her skirt pocket, and pulled out an odd-shaped device. A squeeze of her palm, and the Sangheili plasma sword came to life. She looked at the man before her with cold hatred.

"I _have _no father" she said in an icy tone.

And she swung. Mr. Kaushimu leapt back on instinct, as the blade sliced a burning cut across his chest. He let out a surprised shout of pain and held a hand to the wound, the charred flesh still glowing slightly with heat. He looked up in time to catch a slightly-chakra-charged punch to the face from his enraged daughter than knocked him over, nearly breaking his nose. A follow-up stomp caused an audible breaking of a rib. And then she brought her plasma sword high, fury-filled eyes glaring down at his terrified ones. She swung down…

…and her plasma blade was blocked by Sarah's. She looked up with surprise at the motherly blonde.

"No matter what they're responsible for," Sarah said gently, "I know you would deeply regret killing an unarmed, defenseless, and scared opponent in cold blood. C'mon, Nozomi. …He's not worth it."

Breathing hard, Nozomi stayed in that position for several seconds. Then, her plasma sword was deactivated. After a few seconds, she proceeded to deliver a series of kicks and stomps to the fallen man, and then turned and walked away, over to Yuka, who embraced her. Before the man could do anything, Kaede K. walked over, planting a foot on his chest, and pointed her M90A at his face.

"If I ever catch you within 100 meters of Nozomi ever again, for any reason…" she cocked the shotgun "I _will _kill you."

She took her foot off of him, and turned & walked away, joining the others as they all left the park, heading for home, leaving Nozomi's former father lying there, injured and reflecting on all that had transpired.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

As the group made their way home, Nozomi clung tightly to Kaede K., a few tears escaping as the roller-coaster of emotions came to its terminus. The Diclonius in question held the girl close as they walked, providing comfort. As the group walked, the two fell to the back of the group at Nozomi's unspoken insistence, taking up the rear. Then, while the others were distracted by their own conversations, she turned to Kaede K. and kissed her. The other girl's face went pink nigh-instantly, but she returned the kiss soon enough. After several seconds, they slowly broke apart, smiling at each other.

'Sorry, Kōta' Kaede thought. 'It seems that, like it or not, you're gonna have to share me…'

The two sped up a bit, catching up with the rest of the group. About halfway home, they ran into Mayu, Nana, and Kanba, out for a walk together, and the three joined up with them on the way back to the Maple House, being informed of what had transpired without them. Nozomi had to assure them that she was alright now.

As they took a shortcut down an alleyway, the Sun just beginning its slow descent westward in the sky, a young man, not quite an adult, was coming the other way. With messy black hair and dull-green eyes, the youth wore a dull-purple hooded sweatshirt (hood currently down) and a pair of old, worn jeans. As he neared them, however, he took notice of the group… in particular, of the three hat-wearing pink-haired ones. He felt a sudden surge of fear.

'It can't be…' he thought. 'It can't be her… C-Can it?'

As they passed, Kanba took notice of the boy around Kōta's age staring at them. "Can I help you?" he said to the lone youth.

The young man startled as the rest of the group took notice and turned to face him. His gaze shifted between them all, frequently drifting toward Kaede K., who in turn stared long and hard at him. Her eyes widened a bit.

"Impossible…" she whispered. "You can't be him…"

To test something, she removed her hat while using her vectors to remove Nana's & Kanba's, and the boy immediately recognized what he was dealing with… and, looking close at Kaede, _who _he was dealing with. His face went pale.

'Oh fuck, it _is _her!-!'

"You can't be him…" she murmured. "He's dead. And yet…"

The youth was then paralyzed with fear as a vector grabbed hold of the bottom of his sweatshirt and shirt, and lifted them up… revealing the large, slightly-jagged scar that ran across his chest. The placement and shape of the scar was immediately familiar to Kaede K., and now so was the boy. Her eyes narrowed with cold hatred and disgust.

"No doubt about it" she said. "It's _him_. He survived that day."

"Who is this, Kaede?" Kōta asked.

"It's the boy from when my powers awakened, Kōta, like I told you about. …It's Tomō."

Kōta's expression hardened. "I see" he said. Then, without further ado, he walked up to Tomō and punched him in the face, causing him to stagger back into a nearby fence.

"So you're the guy who tortured my older sister until her mind fragmented, huh?" Kanba said, a scowl on his face.

"O-Older sister?" Tomō asked.

"Technically," Kaede K. replied, "I've only known that I _have _a little brother for a little less than a week, when he showed up on our doorstep. I was _not _abandoned for being a 'freak' as you and the orphanage staff put it; when I was three I got separated from mom & dad in that big earthquake back then. They tried to find me, but failed, and I ended up at that place."

"And I'm presently trying to track down the black-coated man who murdered them a couple years ago" Kanba finished.

"How is he alive?" Mayu asked. "I thought you said you'd killed the kids who awakened your dark side, Kaede-san."

"…One of them I decapitated, one I ripped to shreds, and one I pretty much shredded the internal organs of. I _assumed _that when I slashed a deep cut into this asshole's chest, blood loss and lung damage would've been enough to kill him. It seems I was mistaken. …What's happened to you since then, Tomō? What has your life been like since you awakened a monster?"

"I…" he gulped. "I aged out of the orphanage – hit 16 and I was on my own. I w-was in the hospital for a month after… that day. I was the only survivor. I was awake when y-you tortured the girl; she died in a couple hours. Since that day I can't look at anything pink without feeling nervous, and… well, I don't go to Halloween parties anymore, not since seeing a girl wearing fake cat-ears caused me to have a panic attack. I… I live in a tiny little apartment downtown; I work at a fast-food joint. I make enough… barely. Don't have the money to go to college and probably never will. Don't got no friends, don't got a girl… and they're makin' cutbacks at the place I work, so…"

She shoved him against the wall with her vectors, and slowly walked toward him. He was terrified now.

"Back them," she said, "I always saw you as a pure monster, evil incarnate. But now… I see you for what you are and always were: a sad, miserable little wretch who'll never make anything of himself. As a child, you lashed out in your misery and anger at the world, trying to make yourself feel better by making others more miserable than you. Now, you can't do that anymore. …You're not a threat to me. You're not even an annoyance."

"P-Please don't kill me…"

She glared at him with disgust and hatred, getting in his face. "You… are not worth killing."

His breath caught in his throat.

"Back then," Kaede K. continued, "I would've been all too happy to slaughter you. But now I'm older, and wiser, and so I can see that letting you keep on living your sad, lonely, pathetic, dead-end life is a far greater punishment than simply killing you."

She shoved him down, and then turned & walked away.

"Take me home, Kōta" she said.

"Sure thing, Kaede" Kōta replied, placing an arm around her shoulders. The group moved on, leaving the futureless youth behind them.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Maple House**

**That Evening**

"In conclusion," Aqua was saying, "in light of your exemplary performance during recent operations, and your superb cooperation with us, our decision has been made. Kaede Kanade, Asa Shigure, welcome to Sigma Team."

"Thank you, ma'am" Kaede K, the new Sigma-5, said as she saluted.

"We'll do our best to make you proud" Asa, the new Sigma-6, added.

"You already have" the young Keyblade Master said with a smile. "That's why I okayed this."

"Good to have you two" Ginga said as she put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"We'll have fun kickin' ass together" Mana K. said with a grin.

"Let's celebrate with some food!" Subaru chimed in.

"So long as you don't do the cooking" Ginga snarked at her little sister.

"Meanie~" Subaru stuck her tongue out at her.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

And there are so many "loose ends" that this is gonna be split into two chapters. The last chapter of Book 11 will PROBABLY be out by the end of the weekend. No promises, though.


	9. Loose Ends Part 2

**SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR DISCLAIMERS**

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Kamakura, Japan**

**Next Day**

Mayu and Nana walked together through the marketplace, holding hands and not caring if anyone saw. Last night, Mayu had confided in Nana her past, what her mother and stepfather had done to her, along with how she sometimes had horribly realistic flashbacks and nightmares about what she'd been through; she had been holding back from doing so partly out of an attempt to safeguard Nana's innocence (never mind that she already understood such things from being forced to watch the rape of a few Diclonii during her time as a prisoner at the Institute), and partly out of irrational fear that Nana would think her to be 'damaged' or 'tainted'.

Nana had very quickly berated Mayu for thinking something so silly, and had proceeded to hug the girl for 20 minutes straight, repeatedly reiterating that Mayu was pure and good and Nana's favorite person ever.

As they walked past an alley, Nana stopped as she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

"Mayu, stay here for a sec, okay?" she said. "I've gotta check something out."

"S-Sure" the other girl replied.

Nana made her way into the quiet alley, looking around, on her guard. Soon, she came across a man in the shadows. He was tall and somewhat handsome, wearing an old, informal-looking suit. He had slicked-back hair and light-blue eyes, and when he spotted her he put on a deceptive smile.

"Well hello there, little lady" he said smoothly. "Listen, I'm glad you showed up. You see, I lost my dog, and I've been trying to find him. I swear I saw him come through here, and I was hoping if perhaps you could help me find him."

"Um…" Nana felt a twinge of unease she couldn't quite explain, as she adjusted her hat. "I'd love to, but my friend is waiting outside the alley, and I gotta get back to her."

"Oh, it won't take long, I promise" the man pressed, slowly taking a few steps toward her. "I could buy you some candy as a reward if you help me."

"Really, that sounds nice, but…"

"Nana?" Mayu called out as she walked toward the pair. "I heard talking, and I w…"

As soon as Mayu laid eyes on the man, her eyes went wide and her face went pale, and then she let out a loud scream of terror and hid behind a nearby dumpster. Nana looked shocked, while the man looked slightly annoyed as he recognized the girl and realized what was probably coming.

"M-Mayu?" Nana said. "What's wrong?"

"T-That's him!" Mayu cried, her voice high and terrified. "M-M-My... My…" she squeaked the last word "s-stepfather".

Nana's eyes widened with realization, and then quickly narrowed with anger. Before the man could even try to start fleeing, all four of Nana's vectors became visible and shot out, slamming him into the nearby brick wall and pinning him there. Nana's face bore an expression of rage, her eyes in the same state as when she'd snapped against Bandō that night on the beach weeks ago, as she slowly advanced on the man who feebly struggled in the grip of her telekinetic appendages.

"You…" she snarled. "You're the bastard who defiled, raped, and traumatized the girl I love!"

"I-I-I don't know who you're talking about…" he stammered, trying to save himself. Nana's response was to slam him into the wall again, using a vector to then punch a hole in the wall right next to his head.

"I'm talking about what you did to my Mayu, _you sick fuck_!-!" she screamed in his face.

'Oh, hell' Mayu's stepfather thought. 'My little toy's found a girlfriend with superpowers. This is gonna suck…'

"She still wakes up screaming in the middle of the night sometimes" Nana said, her voice low but quivering with barely-suppressed rage. "She gets flashbacks every now & then, straight-up PTSD. And the only male I've ever seen her not be afraid of upon first meeting is a girlish-looking 12-year-old. And that's just _some _of the damage you've dealt her. But you don't care a bit, do you? No, all you cared about was getting off on her pain and fear, using her body as a tool to satisfy yourself, giving yourself sick pleasure by making her _suffer_!"

"What the hell is going on here?-!"

The sudden shout came from a police officer, as him and his partner entered the scene.

"We heard a girl scream" the younger partner said. "And we come across… this?"

"What are you and what are you doing to that man?" the older one said angrily to Nana as he started advancing on her.

"No, stop! Don't hurt her!" Mayu came running out of her hiding spot, standing between the officer and Nana. "S-She was protecting me from him!"

"This man is Mayu's stepfather" Nana growled. "He molested and raped her for weeks on end before she ran away and came to the house she and I now live at. Turns out he only married Mayu's mother to get to Mayu. It was so bad, she still gets flashbacks."

The man was starting to sweat, his eyes averted. The older officer put a hand over his partner's mouth to stop him from saying what he was going to, and then slowly walked toward the vector-restrained man, looking hard at him.

"Holy crap, I think it's him" he said.

"Who, sir?" the partner asked.

The older officer pulled a little book out of his pocket, flipping through it, until he came to a picture… of Mayu's stepfather, looking a little younger.

"It _is _him!" the officer shouted angrily.

"You know this man?" Nana asked.

"Know him? Kid, I used to work as an officer up in Hokkaido until about two years ago. Back then, _this _bastard was our number-one target! 11 rapes and 14 attempted rapes, all of girls between 11 and 15 years of age! He was always able to give us the slip; I've been huntin' this asshole for 15 years! This isn't the first time he's pulled what you described, either!"

"Um…" the man said nervously.

The officer backhanded him in the face. He then turned to Nana.

"Thanks for catching him."

"I was just defending my… my friend."

"Regardless, you've been a big help, kid."

As the officer cuffed Mayu's stepfather, a woman hiding behind a nearby wall, peeking out around the corner, felt something cold and metal pressed against the back of her head.

"Don't. Move."

Mayu's mother froze at the feeling of a gun at her head, and obeyed the Australian-accented woman's voice behind her. She had been walking down the street when she saw her wretched, husband-stealing progeny, and had followed her down the alley out of curiosity… where she'd been met with the revelation that her new husband was a wanted child-rapist who had only married her to get to Mayu. He'd never loved her in the first place; he'd just been after her daughter!

"March out. Slowly."

The woman complied. As the two walked into the scene, Mayu caught sight of them and gasped, while the officers had their hands on their holstered sidearms.

"This is Mayu's mum" Sanae said to the officers. "When the poor kid came to her for help, told her what her stepdad had been doin' to her, this bitch struck the kid down and accused her of tryin' to steal her husband."

"I-I never!" the woman replied indignantly, though the elder officer felt anger as he saw the subtle signs of fibbing in her body language and tone.

"Bullshit" Sanae said. "I seen the kid when she's in one of her flashbacks, beggin' you to not hit her, to help her. An' I got testimony from a couple of your neighbors on what they seen & heard _both _of ya do to the poor kid. They were scared to come to the police, but I was able to persuade 'em; they'll talk if the cops ask 'em to."

"H-Honey, I can explain…" Mayu's stepfather said.

"Explain _what_?-!" the woman shouted. "That you only married _me _so you could have _her_? That you never loved me; you just _used _me?-! That wasn't how it's supposed to go, damnit! You were supposed to be _mine_!-!"

The older officer gestured to his younger partner, who nodded and walked toward the two, pulling his handcuffs out. As that was dealt with, Mayu took the chance to run into Nana's arms, embracing her tightly, which was returned as the older officer took the stepfather off of her hands. The girl cried softly as the Diclonius held her close.

"We'll take these two down to the station" the older officer said to the girls. "We'll run a full investigation, including getting testimony from the witnesses that this woman-"

"Sanae Mundy," the Australian interrupted, "Army Captain in the Australian Special Operations Command."

"…that Mundy-_taii_ mentioned."

"Can we go home?" Nana asked.

"Sure. We might call you up to give testimony at a later date, but for now… get your friend home. She's been through enough."

"Thank you, officer."

As the two officers led their captures away, Nana continued to hold Mayu for a while longer, neither of them saying anything.

"Nana…" Mayu muttered, her face buried in Nana's shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"What you said… that I'm the girl you love… that I'm 'your' Mayu… Did you really mean all that?"

Nana froze up as she realized what she'd blurted out earlier. "U-Um… Y-Yeah…" she muttered, blushing.

"…Good…"

And then Mayu brought her head up and kissed Nana, whose eyes flew open in surprise as her face went pink. After a few seconds, though, they closed as she returned the kiss. They stayed like this for a few minutes. Finally, they slowly broke apart, smiling shyly at each other.

"Take me home" Mayu said.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Maple House**

**That Night**

"W-We'll be done with our business on this world soon, mom" Erika said, speaking to her mother over a vid-screen. "We should be able to swing by Midchilda for a bit and see you. …I miss you."

"_Or I could pop by on the ship_" Veronica Swanson said with a smile. "_We do have a teleportation link between the _Starshot _and RF6 headquarters, remember? In fact, I think I'll jump on over and spend some time with you girls later today or tomorrow. I can't wait to hold you again, baby girl._"

"That'd be nice…" the girl said with a smile. "Okay, we'll see you then."

"_Take care, honey._"

The connection was terminated. Erika sighed and then headed out to find Timmy… and then, as she felt something happen below, realized she'd better find Sarah, Marie, or Saito first.

In Kaede K.'s room, a discussion was taking place between her, Kōta, and Nozomi, as they hammered out a few details. Thankfully there hadn't really been any conflict.

"So we've got this all sorted out?" Kaede asked, hopeful.

"Yeah" Kōta replied. "I love you… but I don't mind sharing you if you love both of us."

"Thank you…" she murmured, blushing but smiling.

"And I'll be happy to share" Nozomi said. "But… K-Kōta… Um… I've h-had a b-bit of a crush on you for a little while, s-so… In return for sharing Kaede, c-could you maybe… n-now and then give _me _some 'attention', too?"

Nozomi then squeaked in surprise as Kōta responded by pulling her into a hug, while Kaede quickly hugged her from behind, sandwiching her between the two. As she realized what was happening and what it meant, though, she let out a happy sigh and relaxed in their arms.

In Mayu & Nana's room, the two young teens sat on Mayu's bed together.

"You sure you're okay, Mayu?" Nana asked.

The black-haired girl nodded. "Yeah. I'm alright."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment. Finally, Mayu gathered the courage to do what she wanted.

"M-Mayu?" Nana looked shocked and red-faced as Mayu began taking off her shirt. "What're you…"

"Nana…" Mayu said softly. "I… I love you, and you love me. I…" she took a deep breath. "I need to know. I need to know if… s-sex can be something other than 'scary and painful'. I need… you."

"Mayu… A-After everything that happened today, what your stepdad-"

"You're not him. You're my Nana."

"I've… n-never done anything like this before…"

Mayu let a tiny smirk form. "I know you've been looking at naughty websites recently when no-one's around."

Nana blushed at that. Mayu leaned in close to her.

"I need you. I love you. …I _want _you. Please… need me."

She reached out, softly laying a hand on the pink-haired girl's cheek, caressing it. With her other hand, she gently grabbed a hold of Nana's hand and placed it on her bare breast. Nana slowly, gently pulled Mayu's hand off of her face and intertwined her fingers with that hand's, and then leaned forward and kissed her as her other hand gently squeezed. Mayu pulled her down on top of her, as her free hand went under Nana's shirt. A soundproofing spell went up around the room.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**PLF-owned King Raven, en route to former Institute's island**

**Next Morning – 9:30 AM**

Kaede K. looked out the side hatch at the water below as the helicopter rushed over it. About an hour ago, the personnel still mapping out the captured facility had called her, stating they'd found something that might interest her in some subterranean tunnels deep below the structure. Now, she found herself being flown out to the island. She was in a good mood, having gotten a wonderful night's sleep cuddled up with her two special someones (_just _cuddling; they hadn't done anything serious yet), and now she was curious as to what could warrant bringing her out to the former institute.

The copter swung around as it reached the island, setting down on a landing pad. Coalition personnel moved about, now joined by US armed forces personnel; a US Navy cruiser was stationed in the water nearby – the Diclonius Captain Samuel Whitford's vessel. The King Raven settled down on the landing pad, and Kaede stepped out, her hair blowing in the ocean breeze. The Diclonius woman who greeted her wore a USMC uniform, had dark-purple hair with light-purple bangs, and looked around her late 20s or early 30s.

"Sergeant Christie Bellflower, U.S. Marines" she introduced herself, as she & Kaede shook hands. "Follow me."

The two walked across the surface courtyard, passing U.S. and dimensional-coalition personnel, heading for the main entrance.

"I read the reports" Christie said. "What you've been through, what they did to our people here… Makes me sick just tryin' to imagine it. It's a God-given miracle you're sane."

"I had two all-consuming thoughts to focus on in order to keep myself together" Kaede replied. "One was seeing the boy I love again. The other was getting brutal revenge on the people who took everything from me."

As the pair went inside, they took an elevator down to the lowest official level of the facility. They then made their way to another elevator that would take them down further, into the caverns. As they approached the elevator, Bellflower saluted the man standing there. He was a male Diclonius in his 40s, wearing a US naval officer's uniform, with red hair, and a scar that ran along the right side of his face, just barely missing his eye. A good portion of his right horn looked metallic; whatever had slashed his face and nearly took out his eye had also taken a chunk out of his horn.

"At ease" he said. "Miss Kanade, I presume?"

"Yes, sir" Kaede K. replied.

"Captain Samuel Whitford, U.S. Navy" he shook her hand. "Follow me, please."

The three stepped into the elevator, which began carrying them down.

"We came as soon as we received intel on this place," he said as the elevator descended slowly, "what had happened here. My ship was stationed at Okinawa, so it wasn't too long a trip. …It's sickening, what was done here. Anyway, by the time we arrived, this… multi-dimensional coalition was already setting up shop. They informed us of what we needed to know, and we started pitching in to help."

The elevator came to a stop, and the three stepped out, finding a handful of coalition personnel, including a pair of Sangheili.

"Just last night," Whitford continued, "we were assisting in the exploration and securing of these subterranean passageways and caverns, when we found something most unexpected. They're currently being tended to at a medical tent we've set up."

"Wait" Kaede said. "They? You found _people _down here?"

"Yes – 13 Diclonii ranging from four to 15 physical years of age, one non-Silpelit who's around 18, and one baseline human around 17."

They walked up to the tent, and Whitford pulled the 'door' open for Kaede to enter. Inside, she was quickly greeted by a Diclonius who looked ever-so-slightly older than her, with pale-red hair down to her upper back.

"Hello" the young woman said in a soft, kind voice. "My name is Chisaki."

"You're a pure-type, like me?" Kaede asked. "Not a Silpelit? How?"

"I was captured by the Institute around five and a half years ago, and brought here. They thought I was a Silpelit, until they realized I was maturing at a human-normal rate. But before they could do anything, I managed to escape, but I was unable to get off the island. So instead, I headed down, stealing some food from their stores as I went. I found these tunnels, these caverns. It turns out that there are edible plants growing down here, though not much. Anyway, not too long after, I found a place near here, where Diclonii who perish up in the facility are… flushed down. There were… many skeletons.

While I was there, a Silpelit who was then physically around five years old physically showed up via being dumped by the disposal pipeline. She was skinny, but she was also bloody and broken, a lot of her innards damaged. She wasn't dead, but she was dying. I… I wanted to help her, so badly. I used my vectors to try and staunch the bleeding… and that's when I discovered my power."

"Your power?"

"I can use my vectors to mend living tissue. I can heal people with them."

Kaede gasped.

"By focusing my attention on particular spots of damage, and willing my vectors' tips to differentiate to a near-microscopic scale, I can reconstruct tissue on a cellular level, and vastly speed up healing. It leaves me tired and hungry afterwards, but it's worth it. …I saved her. It took me hours of work, but I _saved _her. When she came to, I bathed her, fed her, and explained to her what I could. Her name is Koyomi now, and she was the first… but not the last. When she was well enough, I managed to teach her how to use my healing technique. That came in handy two months later, when Saya was deposited down here; we were able to fix her up together.

"We set up our camp around here, near the disposal chute so we could always keep an eye out for more. Over the last three years, our numbers have slowly grown, and each new addition has been taught the vector healing technique. Nearly all of those who were deposited were already dead, but once in a great while we'd find one still alive, and we'd save them. Every now and then, we'd send a scout or two up to the facility levels, sneaking out to gather information and sometimes steal food or other supplies. We actually have a few guns for defense that we managed to take.

"Then… around three years ago, another was tossed down here: a human girl."

"She was in bad shape" said a physically-14 girl who came up beside Chisaki. "She'd been shot in the chest and then point-blank in the throat. She was barely alive. But… working together, we were all able to save her."

"She's lived with us since then, helping us. …Just last night, the coalition soldiers found us, helped us against a group of institute soldiers who'd been hiding down here. Then they explained everything to us. We've been here since then, being treated for minor injuries and slight malnutrition."

"Can I… see this girl?" Kaede K. asked, curious.

"Of course. …I don't believe I caught your name."

"Kaede. Kanade Kaede."

"Kaede? Oh my goodness… Well then, this is certainly a surprise. Follow me, Kaede-san."

She followed Chisaki through the tent, to the far end, where a young woman was sitting. She was currently turned away, lost in thought, but Kaede could make out dull-brown shoulder-length hair (likely trimmed for her by the Diclonii's vectors). As Kaede approached, the girl turned around… and upon the two making eye contact, they both froze up. Kaede could barely breathe, and her legs gave out from under her, sending her to her knees. She stared, mouth open, at a living ghost.

"…Kaede?" the other girl murmured, shocked.

"A…" Kaede squeaked. Tears started to build in her eyes, as she struggled to whisper the one word, the one name. "A… Aiko…"

"It _is _you…" the girl got up, slowly approaching. "Kaede… I…"

She kneeled down in front of Kaede, and slowly wiped away a tear that had just fallen. …And then Kaede lunged forward, hugging Aiko with everything she had and bursting into tears. The other girl hugged her back just as hard. Aiko cried softly at seeing her long-suffering friend again, while Kaede was openly bawling at finding a best friend back from the dead, only able to occasionally sob out the girl's name.

They were like this for a good 10 minutes, utterly refusing to let go of each other. Finally, Kaede gradually calmed down, and slowly pulled her face up & back so she and Aiko could look into each other's eyes. Aiko softly rested her forehead against Kaede's, and brought a hand up to gently tease one of her horns and the hair around it while the other hand still rested on Kaede's side.

"I've missed you so much, Kaede…" she whispered. "…How's about you tell me what you've been up to since we last saw each other?"

"Can… Can you hold me for a while longer first, please?"

"…Okay. I'll be glad to."

It was nearly two hours later that Kaede finally left the tent, Aiko accompanying her. As they began to make their way toward the elevator, Chisaki came running up.

"Kaede-san…" she said. "I almost forgot. It doesn't have to be now, but… Would you like me to teach you the vector healing technique?"

"S-Sure" she replied. "I've recently become part of a spec-ops squad of the TSAB, so having a healing technique would be really useful. I'll come by tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. See ya then."

As the two rode a King Raven back to the Maple House, Aiko turned to Kaede.

"The people you live with sound wonderful" she said. "I can't wait to meet them."

"Better let me explain a few things first" Kaede replied. "I told them my past, so they think you're dead just as I did until two hours ago."

"Yeah… Um, so… You're being shared by two people?"

Kaede blushed and averted her eyes. "Y-Yeah…"

"And… they've said they wouldn't mind sharing you with one or two more?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Aiko's response was to rest her head on Kaede's shoulder. "Good…" she murmured with a smile.

The Diclonius took a few seconds to get the implication, but blushed when she did.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Maple House**

**That Evening (7:15 PM)**

Yuka rested on the couch, feeling a bit tired. The reveal of Kaede K.'s old friend's survival came as a big surprise to everyone, and several hours had been spent interacting and getting to know each other. Aiko was a sweetheart, really. Yuka liked her… as did pretty much everyone else, in fact. She and Kaede had been utterly inseparable, never leaving each other's side for more than a minute, as if both feared that the other would disappear otherwise. Thankfully, she got along well with Nozomi and Kōta.

Yuka's ruminations were interrupted by the doorbell. Everyone else was busy doing their own things, so she sighed and got up, walking over to the door. She opened it to find two women.

"Pardon me, dear," said one, "but we were wondering if you've seen someone around here."

The first woman looked in her late 30s, was tall with long black hair and deep-blue eyes. She had a cane and seemed to be avoiding putting too much weight on her right leg. The other woman was in her late 20s or early 30s, with shoulder-length light-brown hair and lively brown eyes.

"Who exactly are you two looking for?" Yuka asked.

"I was separated from my young son a few years ago" the first woman said. "I've been… well, following his trail, for lack of a better word. It led me to this town. A few people pointed me this way."

"My daughter was taken from me shortly after her birth" the second woman said. "They told me she had died due to some birth defect, but I overheard them mentioning taking her to a 'facility'. I was wondering if maybe…"

"She and I met about a year ago and decided to help each other try and find our children" the first woman said. "Since my daughter was… like her daughter, son, and husband, she told me what she knew about them."

'These two…' Yuka thought. 'It couldn't be…'

"Yuka-san?" Mariko poked her head out from around the corner (being careful to keep her lower body hidden from the visitors' sight). "Who're they?"

Upon seeing the little girl, both women looked surprised. "Y-You know of them? What our missing children are?" the second one asked.

"Wait…" Yuka said. "Are you saying that your missing children are Diclonii?"

"Pink hair and cat-ear horns" the first woman replied. "Yes."

"I see… W-Why don't you two come in?"

The two women stepped inside, as Mariko made a hasty exit to hunt down a skirt to wear. As Yuka began leading them down the entrance hall, Kanba stepped out of a room ahead.

"Hey, Yuka, who's…" he trailed off as he spotted the women… in particular, the taller, older one. His breath caught in his throat, eyes going wide as he stared in disbelief. The woman gasped as she recognized him. After several seconds, Kanba spoke.

"M…" he whimpered, his words barely squeaking out. "Mommy? Y-You're… alive?"

"Kanba…" the woman whispered in surprise. "I found you…"

Yuka barely had time to piece together exactly what was happening before Kanba barreled past her and into the arms of his mother. Sakuya Kanade held her little boy tight as he clung to her, softly stroking the back of his head with one hand as he cried a little. She held him for a good minute or so before another person entered the picture.

"Yuka?" Kaede K. walked into the hallway. "Kanba? …Who are these two?"

Kanba pulled his face away from Sakuya's shoulder, crying but smiling. "_Nee-chan_!" he said. "It's her! It's mom! She's survived! She's alive! She's here!"

"_Nee-chan_?" Sakuya murmured, as she looked at the older girl… and everything clicked. Kanba let go of her, allowing her to slowly walk toward the girl. "My God… …Kaede…?"

The pink-haired young woman stared in shock and awe, unable to form words. Faint memories from long ago, when she was but a toddler, surfaced. They were hazy, few in number, but…

"Mom?" she squeaked out.

"Oh, my little girl… It's really you, isn't it? I looked for you… Your father and I looked so hard for you. But we couldn't find you. We thought you were dead. But now…"

She came close, and mother & daughter hugged each other for the first time in 14 years. Kaede's emotions were already close to the surface from finding Aiko earlier in the day, so it wasn't long before she was crying. Kanba joined in the hug, Sakuya joyfully embracing her two long-lost children.

'I think I've cried more today than I have in the past five years' some part of Kaede's mind registered, but she paid it no mind.

As the family was reunited, Yuka turned to the other, younger woman. "And who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Ayumu" the woman replied, bowing. "Yukishiro Ayumu. Pleased to meet you."

"You look… just a bit familiar. ...Could you follow me, please?"

"Okay"

The two left the Kanade family to rejoice in their reuniting, and moved through the house, Yuka leading. Soon they came to Mayu & Nana's room. Yuka knocked. After a few seconds, the door was opened by one of Nana's vectors, revealing the two young teens sitting on the bed together. They looked quizzically at the new person.

"Who's this?" Nana asked.

"She looks a bit like you, Nana" Mayu said.

"Nana…" the woman whispered, eyes wide. "I remember giving her that name. …W-When were you born, dear?"

"Um…" Nana looked a tad nervous to reveal. "It's a long story, but… about seven years ago. Why?"

"I can't believe it…" the woman said as she slowly stepped into the room. "It's really you… When they took you from me after you were born, I thought I'd never see you again."

"Wait…" Nana murmured, eyes opening wide. "Y-You… My… Are you… M-Mama?"

"Yukishiro Nana…" the woman murmured. "That's your full name."

"I… I remember Kurama-sama mentioned that name once when talking about me with Kisaragi-san…" Nana whispered. "Oh my… Mama…"

Nana slowly got up on now-shaky legs, making her way towards the woman. The two met in the middle, staring into each other's eyes, which were now tearing up.

"_Mama~!_"

Nana then practically leapt into her mother's arms, nearly knocking her over, and the two held each other for dear life, falling to their knees but not letting go.

"My little baby girl…" Ayumu murmured, crying. "My Nana-tan… I found you… Mama's here, baby. Mama's here."

Nana was crying freely, unable to say anything more than repetitions of "found you" and "mama", as her mother held her for the first time since she was a minute old. Yuka and Mayu snuck out, leaving mother & daughter to themselves.

"We should let the others know" Yuka said. Mayu nodded, and the two split up.

(AN: Yes, I had this planned. Back when Kanba explained his parents' fate, you'll notice I never specified that he actually _saw _his mother's 'death'…)

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Local Park**

**Next Day**

Kanba sighed as he walked through the park. Yesterday had been quite eventful: his mother had survived the black-coated man's attack (though apparently she got shot in the leg during the struggle), and had found Nana's mother during her travels afterward. Now he and big-sis had their mom back; Kaede-_nee _had spent several hours with mom, asking questions, introducing her to the others, and just _being _with her, until Sakuya finally had her go to bed because it was nearly midnight; she'd done so, sleeping with Aiko cuddled up to her. This morning, Kaede was explaining to her mother all that she'd been through; Kanba had gone out on patrol this morning partly because he didn't want to see exactly how badly his mother would react to all that. Nana's mother had broken down only a third of the way into Nana's explanation of her own past up until now, hugging the girl for dear life for the rest of it, sobbing apologies.

As the preteen made his way through the park, he took a look over at some kids a little older than him, some of them watching their little siblings playing together. However, he also saw something else, something that made him want to head over and have a closer look…

Nobody really knew his name. They only knew him as "The Unknown Man" or "The Hunter", usually. He was a feared figure, bearing a powerful weapon and a terrifying reputation. However, he knew that his primary long-term employers were now dead, the Diclonii they held captive now rescued and being rehabilitated. He could no longer find prey there. So now, while he waited for one of his occasional secondary clients to call in with a job for him, he stalked a local park, seeking a living toy to satisfy him for a little while.

"Well, hello there, girlies!" he said as he stepped out toward a pair of 13-year-old girls who'd been hanging together. The two jumped in surprise, and were immediately wary upon being approached by the tall, black-cloaked stranger in the hat and sunglasses. "I've got somethin' for ya if you wanna have some fun~!"

"Back off, creep!" the taller of the two girls said. "I can tell what you are!"

"Yeah!" the other girl pitched in. "We see guys like you pop up on the news! A couple days ago, they were reporting on how they caught this one guy!"

"So much for that approach, eh?" the man chuckled. "Okay, then. How about this?"

He reached into his coat and pulled out his toxin-ball crossbow, pointing it at the two girls. They screamed, the taller one taking a defensive position in front of the shorter.

The man grinned psychotically. "Either the two of you come with me nice and easy, or I kill one of you, kneecap the other, and then have my fun with her. So… What's it gonna be, girls?"

The two girls trembled, scared to move.

"One…" the man said.

The shorter one huddled behind the taller one.

"Two~…"

The taller one steeled her resolve, spreading her arms to block the shorter one.

"Thr-"

*BAM!*

Kanba's punch came from out of nowhere, knocking the man aside several feet. He looked to the girls.

"Run now!" he said.

The two girls obliged, just as the Unknown Man pulled himself up, groaning and rubbing his jaw. He growled as he sized up his opponent.

"A Diclonius, huh?" he sneered. "Oh, but you're a little one. Got quite a fire in your eyes, though."

Indeed, Kanba was staring at the man with pure, utter hatred as he recognized him. He took a stance.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, kid?"

"…Hello" Kanba replied in an even tone. "My name is Kanba Kanade" he held his hand out. "You killed my father" his Keyblade formed. "Prepare to die."

"…I remember now. The Diclonius man, four years back… And his human wife… And _you_… Hmph. Looks like you've grown. …Okay, kid. I'll play with you for a while. Maybe afterwards I can have some fun with you before I kill you."

Kanba said nothing, only glaring at the man with utmost hatred and cold fury. The man, quick as a shot, fired a toxin-spike ball from his crossbow… only for Kanba to swing All For One lightning-fast, neatly slicing the projectile in two; the two halves embedded in a tree behind him. And then, it was Kanba's turn to attack. He gripped his Keyblade and charged.

-_Mini-Break_-

At the Maple House, Sakuya Kanade was holding her daughter close, still crying lightly. The revelations of the various sufferings Kaede had undergone as a child and young teen had left her melancholy… but the descriptions – in horrifying detail – of what she'd undergone at that God-forsaken 'facility' left her devastated, horrified, nauseous… Right now, she was holding Kaede as tightly as she could partly to comfort her, and partly to comfort _herself_, to reassure herself that her little girl was here and she was alright now, that she wasn't in that Hell anymore. Kōta, Nozomi, and Aiko were all nearby, providing further support to the two of them.

Suddenly, Aqua burst into the room. "Kanba's engaged in battle!" she said. "I sensed his Keyblade being summoned! He's at the park!"

Immediately the five got to their feet. "Lead us there" Kōta said.

The six people hurried for the park semi-near the house; it was a 10-minute run. Soon, the sounds of combat were audible. They rushed down a path, past some trees, and saw Kanba engaged in single combat against a man in black cloak, hat, and sunglasses. Kaede and her mother reacted with equal shock.

"That's the man who defiled me a year ago at the facility!" Kaede said.

"He's the one who killed my husband!" Sakuya added.

"And he's totally getting his ass kicked!" Kōta finished.

Indeed, the Unknown Man was definitely on the losing side, bearing many wounds, his gun almost out of ammo. He was panting for breath and he hurt all over. Kanba, in contrast, was still going strong, and was pretty much running circles around the guy. He dodged a swing of the crossbow's side-blade and struck with his Keyblade, cutting a gash in the man's side. Then, he lashed out with an uppercut that nearly knocked the Unknown Man off his feet. The Hunter roared and went for a downward point-blank shot… which Kanba dodged by inches, and then brought his blade up, hitting the crossbow and destroying it. The man yelped and staggered back, holding his hands up.

"P-Please!" he said. "Spare me! I-I'll give you anything you want! Money, tech, jewels, power, contacts, _anything you want_!"

"Anything I want…?" Kanba said lowly. Then he roared out: "I want my _father _back, _you son of a bitch!-!_"

He lashed out with his vectors, slicing the man's legs off mid-thigh. The Unknown Man fell to the ground on his back, clenching his teeth and trying not to scream. Kanba walked over and stood atop him. He then opened a small subspace pocket and withdrew a piece of something that he gripped his right hand around. Pieces rapidly flowed out of the tiny rift and coalesced with the held grip as the base, his Promethean Scattershot rapidly assembling itself. He pointed the Forerunner shotgun at the man's face, bracing the firing arm and the gun with a pair of vectors to allow a one-handed shot.

"This is for what you did to my father, my sister, and countless other Diclonii and humans alike."

"No, wait! Ple-"

Kanba pulled the trigger, and a blast of glowing orange particle-pellets fragmented the Unknown Man's head. His body then rapidly dissolved/disintegrated into orange particles, fading away. He stood, head bowed and eyes closed, his Scattershot still in his grip. Then, he released the weapon, allowing it to disassemble and return to its subspace storage. His Keyblade vanished in a flash of light, and he raised his head and looked up at the sky.

'It's done, father' he thought. 'It's done.'

"Kanba!"

He turned his head just in time to catch his family, Kōta, Aiko, and Nozomi running up. Kaede hugged him, their mother catching up and joining in a second later. He eagerly hugged them back.

"It's over" he said. "The people who hurt Kaede-_nee _are dead, and now so is the man who killed dad. They're all gone now. We're free…"

"Yeah…" Kaede said with happy finality. "We're free. …Let's go home."

"…One sec" Kanba said. "Gotta check something."

He walked over to a tree a little ways away, where the two girls he'd protected had been hiding and watching the whole fight and aftermath.

"Are you two okay?" he asked, a kind smile on his face.

One of the girls replied by pulling him close and kissing him. He let out a surprised "Mmph?-!" as she gave him a very special thanks. After several seconds, she pulled away, and before Kanba could say anything the other, taller one pulled him into another kiss, this one bolder and deeper. He moaned as he felt her tongue entering his mouth. After nearly a minute, she pulled away, the two of them panting.

"Thank you…" she said softly "for saving us."

"Uh-huh…" Kanba replied with a nod, somewhat dazed.

With one final kiss on the cheek from the shorter girl, the two girls then turned and left. Kanba stood there for several seconds, before turning around and walking back toward the group; Kōta gave him a thumbs-up, which he returned.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Maple House**

**Afternoon**

"We've got word on our next assignment" Teana said as she entered the room where Gamma and Sigma Teams were mingling.

"Where we headed next, Tia?" Subaru asked.

"We're going back to the UNSC's home dimension" she replied. "Apparently, several years ago a pet project of Parangosky's went rogue. Now, we need to check the aftermath of it, help track down the project's director, and assist a pair of ex-agents of the project. Also, we'll likely be going up against some hostile holdouts from Parangosky's regime of ONI."

"So what's this rogue element called?" Ginga asked.

"Apparently, it was something called Project Freelancer."

After several seconds of silence as the group processed this, one voice – that of someone who knew full well of what this meant – spoke up:

Marie: "…Fffffuck yeah…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

It was time. There was now a permanent teleportation grid set up between the Maple House and the now-coalition-controlled island base, and a transdimensional-range one between the island base and the _Starshot_. The girls of Gamma and Sigma were aboard the _Starshot_, as were Kanba, the Maple Group, and 'the kids' – Erika, Timmy, Erio, Caro, Mariko, and Laicixa.

"Next stop," Teana said, "planet Dolus, last known location of ex-Agent Washington."

"Helmsman, take us out" Zhal Arum ordered.

In high orbit, the _Starshot _went into motion, getting a little distance from the _Shield of Thermopylae _and then jumping into slipspace.

"Oh man, this is gonna be _so awesome~_!" Marie said/squeed.

**-**_**BOOK 11 END**_**-**

And that's it for "To Be Human". Look for Teana's Travels Book 12, "Misfits Mobilized" in the Lyrical Nanoha / Red vs. Blue crossover section. It may be a little while, though; I have to hammer out a few plot details. See ya then!


End file.
